By Logan Williams, Warrior Editorial Fellow
India has been steadily increasing its military and economic ties with the United States and its other Western partners, under the leadership of President Modi. This has led to numerous developments such as the Indian purchase of the United States’ “Reaper” drones and the US-India co-production of the Stryker infantry carrier vehicle.
On Friday, February 9th, India crossed another milestone in its establishment of partnerships with Western and West-aligned states — India concluded its first-ever joint military exercise with Saudi Arabian forces.
This joint exercise was code-named “Sada Tansiq.” The first word, “Sada,” is Hindi for “forever” or “eternal;” the second word, “Tansiq,” is Arabic for “cooperation” — a suitably strong sentiment for a history-making event.
This exercise was an 11-day endeavor, occurring between January 29th and February 9th, which focused upon actions in accordance with Chapter Ⅶ of the United Nations’ Charter, which establishes the United Nations’ mission to guard international peace, security, and stability.
The tasks which sat at the core of this joint exercise were crucial components of a long-term stability operation, such as the setting-up of a temporary operating base, establishing an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance grid, establishing mobile vehicle checkpoints, carrying-out cordon and search operations in a hostile village, heliborne operations, and house intervention (breach and clear) drills. Notably, these drills also included platoon-level battle drills, where mechanized infantry (modern day cavalry) practiced the use of infantry combat vehicles, such as the Stryker, and in which soldiers practiced reflex shooting as well as sniper exercises.
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It is impossible not to view this exercise in the context of the escalating Houthi threat in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthi terrorists’ continued assaults upon civilian commercial vessels have catalyzed renewed international cooperation against international terrorists and their state-sponsors. As the United Nations has proven itself useless in obtaining a cease-fire in Yemen, and as the United States, the United Kingdom, and other states have been forced step-up their use of airstrikes against Houthi targets, the conflict threatens to spiral out of control any day now. India has been the de facto policeman of the Red Sea since 2008, due to its large naval presence in the region, and Saudi Arabia has spent the last decade fighting the Houthis, to no avail. Thus, since the tactics drilled in the last 11-days of joint exercises between India and Saudi Arabia are exactly the essential skills that would become necessary in a long-term peacekeeping operation within hostile territory (as opposed to the very different skills that would be required for a near-peer conflict), specifically to combat the irregular, asymmetric warfare characteristic of international terrorists, it would seem prudent to view this exercise as a cautionary demonstration for the Houthis, of India’s and Saudi Arabia’s ability to cooperate in an assertive defense of the world order.
Most importantly, Saudi Arabia is a key ally of the United States amidst a critical geopolitical hotspot and, combined with India’s maiden joint exercise with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – another strong, crucial U.S. ally – in January, this is another demonstration of India’s desire to strengthen its ties to the West, as well as India’s desire to expand its global influence and power projection capabilities into the Middle East.
Under the profound and righteous leadership of President Biden, India, one of Russia’s longest-lasting associates, is quickly becoming one of the United States’ closest and most essential friends.
Logan Williams currently studies at the University of Connecticut. He is an International Affairs Researcher; Work Published in Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals, Such As: Geopolitics Magazine, Modern Diplomacy, Tufts University’s The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Democracy Paradox, Diario Las Américas, International Affairs Forum, Fair Observer, History Is Now Magazine, UNC at Chapel Hill’s American Diplomacy, The Center for Military Modernization’s Warrior Maven Magazine
