India-Thailand Joint Military Exercise MAITREE-XV

Exercise MAITREE-XV: India-Thailand Military Cooperation

Key Facts

• Exercise Name: MAITREE-XV (15th Edition)
• Location: Surat Thani, Thailand
• Participants: 85 personnel from each country
• Indian Contingent: 9 Gorkha Rifles
• Thai Contingent: 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division
• Duration: Company-level exercise

Background and Evolution

• Origin: Established in 2006 as Thai-Indian Cooperation Field Exercise (TICAFE)
• Renaming: Renamed MAITREE ("Friendship") in 2013
• Hosting: Conducted alternately between India and Thailand
• Gap Period: Five-year gap after 2019; resumed in 2024
• Significance: 2026 marks 20 years since the exercise was launched

Operational Focus

• Primary Objective: Joint counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations
• Terrain: Jungle and semi-urban/suburban environments
• UN Mandate: Conducted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter (Action with respect to threats to the peace)

Training Activities

• Field exercises and tactical drills
• Combat discussions and lectures
• Demonstrations and validation exercises
• Joint planning sessions
• Exchange of operational experiences
• Showcase of contemporary equipment and technologies

Significance for India

• Act East Policy: Strengthens India's eastern neighbourhood engagement
• ASEAN Connectivity: Thailand is a key ASEAN partner for regional security
• Defence Diplomacy: Enhances military cooperation and interoperability
• Mekong-Ganga Cooperation: Complements India's broader Indo-Pacific strategy
• Strategic Partnership: Deepens bilateral defence relations with Thailand

Related Constitutional/Policy Framework

• Act East Policy: India's policy to strengthen economic and strategic relations with Southeast Asia
• UN Charter Chapter VII: Deals with action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of peace, and acts of aggression
• ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership: Thailand engagement under the broader ASEAN framework

Major Joint Exercises of India