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Garuda Shakti 2026 begins in Indonesia
ଖବରରେ କାହିଁକି?
Garuda Shakti is not Harimau Shakti: the India-Indonesia special forces exercise Prelims defence questions test
Garuda Shakti-2026 (11th edition) starts at Banyuwangi.
Why it matters: asked in UPSC 2024; factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 ମିନିଟ
The 11th edition of Garuda Shakti, the joint special forces exercise between India and Indonesia, began in Banyuwangi, Indonesia.
It aims to improve bilateral interoperability.
ଉତ୍ସ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
ମୁଖ୍ୟ ତଥ୍ୟ
Remember these
- Garuda Shakti is the joint special forces exercise between India and Indonesia.
- The 11th edition (2026) began at Banyuwangi, Indonesia.
- Its aim is to improve bilateral interoperability between the two special forces.
- Harimau Shakti is the India-Malaysia exercise; Maitree is India-Thailand; VINBAX is India-Vietnam.
- Indonesia is a key Indo-Pacific partner and a maritime neighbour of India in the Andaman Sea region.
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ · ମେନ୍ସ
How the exam will ask it
ପ୍ରିଲିମ୍ସ
- Garuda Shakti is a bilateral joint exercise between the special forces of India and Indonesia.
- Harimau Shakti (Malaysia), Maitree (Thailand) and VINBAX (Vietnam) are army exercises with other Southeast Asian partners.
- Such exercises focus on interoperability, counter-terrorism and jungle warfare skills.
ମେନ୍ସ
GS3 Security / GS2 International Relations: Defence exercises with Southeast Asian partners are a tool of the Act East policy and Indo-Pacific strategy. Regular special forces drills build interoperability and trust, support counter-terrorism cooperation and maritime security in a shared neighbourhood. The way forward is to institutionalise exercises, widen them to logistics and technology sharing, and link them with defence industry cooperation.
PYQ connection
A question UPSC has already asked on this
Which of the following statements about 'Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023' are correct?
- This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
- It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
- Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation.
- Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.
Select the answer using the code given below:
- 1, 2 and 3
- 1, 2 and 4
- 1, 3 and 4
- 2, 3 and 4
ଉତ୍ତର ଦେଖନ୍ତୁ
ଉତ୍ତର: A
Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.
Practise this PYQ →Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Garuda Shakti, whose 11th edition began in Banyuwangi in October 2026, is a joint special forces exercise between India and which country?
- Malaysia
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Indonesia
ଉତ୍ତର ଦେଖନ୍ତୁ
ଉତ୍ତର: D — Correct: Indonesia — Garuda Shakti is the India-Indonesia special forces exercise; the 2026 edition was hosted at Banyuwangi in Indonesia. • Malaysia — wrong: India's special forces exercise with Malaysia is Harimau Shakti, not Garuda Shakti. • Thailand — wrong: The India-Thailand army exercise is Maitree, not Garuda Shakti. • Vietnam — wrong: India-Vietnam army drills are called VINBAX; Garuda Shakti is not one of them.
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