Indian Army Departs for MAITREE-XV Exercise in Thailand
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Indian Army contingent departed Monday for Surat Thani, Thailand to participate in the 15th edition of MAITREE-XV, scheduled from August 18 to 31.
- Both armies will field 85 personnel each, with the Indian side drawing primarily from the 9 Gorkha Rifles and the Royal Thai Army contributing personnel from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division.
- The company-level exercise focuses on joint counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in jungle and semi-urban terrain under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
- The training schedule includes field exercises, combat discussions, lectures, demonstrations, and a culminating validation exercise, with contingents exchanging operational experiences and showcasing contemporary equipment and technologies.
- MAITREE, instituted in 2006, serves as an India-Thailand platform to share best practices and strengthen defence cooperation, enhancing interoperability, mutual understanding and camaraderie.
- The previous edition was held at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya, in September 2025.
Why it matters: MAITREE-XV continues a bilateral defence cooperation track instituted in 2006, now in its 15th iteration. With 85 personnel per side training under a UN Chapter VII counter-insurgency framework in Thai jungle terrain, the drill operationalises the kind of sustained interoperability work that keeps India-Southeast Asia military ties active between headline summits.
Ask SkimNews
