Why in News?

• The 4th edition of joint military exercise ‘DUSTLIK’ between the Indian Army and Uzbekistan Army commenced today in Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand).

Key Points:

=> 45 Soldiers each from Uzbekistan and Indian Army are participating in this exercise which is aimed at promoting positive relations between both the armies.

=> The Indian Army contingent comprises of troops from an Infantry Battalion from the Garhwal Rifles Regiment.

=> The first edition of the exercise was held in Uzbekistan in November 2019 .

=> The 14 days long joint exercise would focus on joint counter-terrorist operations in mountainous and semi-urban scenario under UN mandate and will include field training exercises, combat discussions, lectures, demonstrations and culminate with a validation exercise.

=> Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats, while learning to exploit new generation equipment and technology for conducting joint operations.

=> The bonhomie, espirit-de-corps and goodwill generated during the exercise will go a long way in further strengthening the bonds between both armies by enabling understanding of each other’s organisation and methodology of conducting various operations.