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www.Lankawebnews.lk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Lieutenant Duminda Senarath<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The jungles of “Maduru Oya” are about to echo once again with the sound of friendship in uniform. From 13th to 26th November 2026, the Sri Lanka Army will host the 12th edition of the Joint Military Exercise Mitra Shakthi with the Indian Army at the Army Training School in Maduru Oya, marking another powerful chapter in the defence brotherhood of two neighbouring nations who have stood together through peace and war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mitra Shakthi, meaning Power of Friendship, is not just another military exercise. It is the most important bilateral training event between Sri Lanka and India. First initiated in 2012 as a small step to build mutual understanding, the exercise has now grown into a major annual event conducted alternately in India and Sri Lanka. After the 9th edition in Pune in 2023, the 10th edition in Maduru Oya in August 2024, and the 11th edition in Belagavi, Karnataka in 2025, the 12th edition returns to Sri Lanka, bringing with it more firepower, more technology and more friendship than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aim of this year’s exercise is crystal clear and crucial for modern warfare. It is to enhance the joint military capability of both armies to undertake counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Mandate. In a world where threats no longer come from conventional battlefields but from urban hideouts, jungles and skies dominated by drones, this training is vital. For fourteen days, troops will rehearse how to act together as a United Nations peacekeeping force. The curriculum for 2026 will focus heavily on operations in a semi-urban environment, including response to terrorist action, establishment of a joint command post, creation of intelligence and surveillance centres, securing helipads, small team insertion and extraction by helicopter, special heliborne operations, cordon and search operations, use of drones and counter-drone systems, counter-IED drills and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The venue chosen for this is no accident. The Army Training School at Maduru Oya is Sri Lanka’s premier jungle and sub-conventional warfare training establishment. Surrounded by dense jungle and equipped with a specially built semi-urban combat village, it provides the most realistic terrain to test both soldiers and technology. It is the same ground where Sri Lanka’s most elite soldiers are forged, and where Indian and Sri Lankan soldiers have trained together in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, the ground will once again see two elite battalions fighting shoulder-to-shoulder. The Indian Army contingent, expected to comprise around 120 to 135 personnel, will be represented by a battalion of the legendary Rajput Regiment, one of India’s oldest and most decorated regiments known for its bravery. The Indian contingent will include approximately 15 to 17 officers and more than 105 other ranks, along with supporting elements from other arms and services and around 20 personnel from the Indian Air Force for air-related missions. On the Sri Lankan side, an equally strong contingent of about 130 to 140 personnel from the proud Gajaba Regiment will participate, including around 18 officers and over 120 other ranks. The Gajaba Regiment, with its glorious war heritage, has been the traditional partner in this exercise and stands as a perfect counterpart to the Rajput Regiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From a modest beginning in 2012 to a full-fledged joint war game in 2026, the joint military exercise “Mitra Shakthi” has evolved as a symbol of trust, friendship and shared destiny. When soldiers from Mannar to Kashmir speak the same tactical language and trust each other in the jungle of Maduru Oya, it sends a strong message that the stability of the Indian Ocean Region is in safe hands. As the two contingents prepare to march in together on 13th November, the Power of Friendship will once again be on display, not in words, but in action.<\/p>\n
www.bbcmirror.lk www.Lankawebnews.lk By Lieutenant Duminda Senarath The jungles of “Maduru Oya” are about to echo once again with the sound of friendship in uniform. From 13th to 26th November 2026,… <\/p>\n