10th Edition of Exercise MITRA SHAKTI | 17 Aug 2024

Recently, the 10^th edition of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise MITRA SHAKTI began.

MITRA SHAKTI is an annual exercise based on counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations in semi urban terrain.
- It is the largest bilateral exercise being undertaken by the Sri Lankan Army and it forms a major part of India and Sri Lanka’s growing defence partnership.
- It is designed for incorporating the current dynamics of UN' peacekeeping operations through tactical exercises and practical discussions.
India’s other exercise with Sri Lanka - SLINEX (Navy)
Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea.
- It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and shares a maritime border with India and the Maldives.
- India is Sri Lanka’s 3rd-largest export destination (after US and UK) with over 60% of Sri Lankan exports benefiting from the India-Sri Lanka FTA.
- Both India and Sri Lanka are part of regional groups like BIMSTEC and SAARC.