Indian Army commence 2024 Harimau Shakti exercise with Malaysian Army
Military exercise
4 min read
India and Malaysia commenced the bilateral Joint Military Exercise “Harimau Shakti” on 2 December 2024 at Bentong camp, Pahang district, Malaysia. In 2023, the Indian Army hosted the exercise at its Umroi Cantonment in Meghalaya.
The 2024 edition of the annual bilateral exercise will be held from 2 to 15 December 2024.
The first annual bilateral military exercise, Harimau Shakti, between the Indian Army contingent and the Malaysian Army contingent was held in October 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The joint combat exercise aims to create greater synergy and interoperability between the two armed forces.
Participants of the 2024 Harimau Shakti Exercise
In the 2024 edition of the Harimau Shakti Exercise, 78 personnel of the Indian Army’s Mahar Regiment will represent the Indian contingent, and 123 personnel of the Royal Malaysian Regiment will represent the Malaysian side.
Focus of the Exercise
The exercise will boost friendly military ties between the two countries and enhance their capability to undertake joint counter-insurgency operations in jungle terrain.
The exercise will be conducted in two phases.
Phase I—The first phase will focus on cross-training between both Armies, including lectures, demonstrations, and practice of various drills in jungle terrain.
Phase II- Both armies will take an active part in a simulated exercise, wherein troops will execute various drills, including Anti- Ambush, Occupation of Harbour, Carrying out Recce Patrol, Ambush and an Attack on an area taken over by the terrorists.
India-Malaysia Defence Ties
India and Malaysia share good bilateral ties, and their diplomatic relationship was established in 1957.
During Malaysian Prime Minister Ibrahim Anwar's visit to India in August 2024, both countries upgraded their bilateral relationship to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership level.
Read about Ibrahim Anwar’s visit to India.
The 1993 MoU on Defence Cooperation is the cornerstone of defence relations between the two countries.
The India-Malaysia Defence Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM) is a secretary-level meeting between the Defence Secretaries of both countries. The 12th meeting of MIDCOM was held in New Delhi on 19 September 2023.
India and Malaysia conducted a series of exercises involving the three wings of the armed forces to bolster their bilateral defence ties.
Bilateral Naval Exercise
The bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy is code-named Samudra Laksamana. The first Samudra Laksamana was held in the Malacca Straits in December 2017.
The 3rd edition of the Samudra Laksamana maritime exercise was held in Visakhapatnam from 28 February to 02 March 2024.
Air Force Exercise
The bilateral exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force, code-named Udan Shakti, was held for the first time in 2018.
The latest Udan Shakti exercise was held at Kuantan, Malaysia, from 5-9 August 2024.
