Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023

25.10.2023

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Why in the news?

Recently, Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023 commenced in Umroi Cantonment, India.

About Exercise Harimau Shakti 2023:

• It is a joint bilateral training exercise between Indian & Malaysian Armed Forces.
• The Malaysian Army contingent comprises troops from the 5th Royal Battalion of the Malaysian Army. The Indian contingent is being represented by a battalion of the Rajput Regiment.
• Aim: To enhance military capability for conducting Multi Domain Operations in a sub conventional scenario.
• During the exercise, both contingents will establish a Joint Command Post & establish an integrated surveillance grid along with a Joint Surveillance Centre.
• Both sides will rehearse employment of joint forces in jungle/ semi urban / urban environments. In addition, intelligence collection, collation and dissemination drills will also be rehearsed.
• The Exercise will also witness employment of Drones/UAVs & Helicopters. Two sides will also practice casualty management and evacuation drills.
• Both the contingents will discuss logistics management and practice survival training at the Battalion level.
• The training will focus primarily on high degree of physical fitness, conduct of drills at tactical level and sharing of best practices with each other.
• The Exercise will culminate with a 48-hour long validation exercise in a semi-urban area.
• Last edition of the Exercise was conducted in Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia in November 2022.

Bharat Malaysia relations

• Bharat established diplomatic relations with the Federation of Malaya (predecessor state of Malaysia) in 1957. India is represented in Malaysia through the High Commission of India based in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is represented in India through their High Commission in New Delhi and Consulates General in Mumbai and Chennai.
• The two countries enjoyed a strong relationship in the 1960s as a result of the personal friendship between Prime Ministers Nehru and Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra.
• Presently, Bharat and Malaysia have developed close political, economic and socio-cultural relations. There is considerable goodwill for India in Malaysia at people to people level, which hosts the third largest PIO community in the world.
• Bharat and Malaysia are witnessing growing engagements in all aspects of bilateral relationship, including political, economic and trade, defence and security, tourism and education, health, human resources, public administration, etc.
• During the visit of former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2010, it was agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership and during PM Narendra Modi visit in 2015 it was strengthened to Enhanced Strategic Partnership.

The following institutional mechanisms have been established between India and Malaysia:

Joint Commission Meeting

Foreign Office Consultations

India-Malaysia Defence Cooperation Meeting

India-Malaysia CEOs’ Forum

Recent Developments

• In 2017, after the visit of then Prime Minister Najib Razak to India. India and Malaysia extended their mutual agreement to expand cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development and building smart cities.
• In 2020, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad spoke in opposition to the revocation of Kashmir’s special status and the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act. India had then banned palm oil imports from Malaysia leading to a fall of 50 per cent (2019 – 1.1 million tonnes) from January to February 2020. Later, the curb was lifted following the formation of a new government in Kuala Lumpur.
• The year 2022 marks 65 years of establishment of “political or diplomatic relations” between both India and Malaysia.

Source:PIB