India, Sri Lanka joint exercise ‘Mitra Shakti-VI’ to commence from Mar 26

India, Sri Lanka joint exercise ‘Mitra Shakti-VI’ to commence from Mar 26

1. Exercise MITRA SHAKTI is a military exercise between India and Srilanka.It is conducted annually as part of military diplomacy and interaction between the two countries.The joint exercise will commence from March 26 to April 8 for the year 2018-19,in Sri Lanka.
2. The aim of the exercise is to build and promote close relations between the armies of both the countries and to enhance the ability of joint exercise commander to take military contingents of both nations under command.
3. The exercise will involve training in tactical level operations during international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist environment under United Nations mandate.
4. The exercise had started in 2012 as a response to China’s efforts to increase its influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.