India, Saudi Arabia Launch Joint Military Exercise SADA TANSEEQ

Marking a new milestone in burgeoning bilateral defence ties, the Indian and Saudi Arabian armies have embarked on their first-ever joint military training exercise code-named 'SADA TANSEEQ' in the western Indian state of Rajasthan from January 29 to February 10, 2024.

Overview of SADA TANSEEQ 2024

The opening ceremony occurred at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges overlooking the Thar desert landscapes near the town of Bikaner on Sunday. Presiding dignitaries expressed hopes for greater interoperability between the friendly forces via this inaugural 14-day combat exercise.

45 personnel each from the Saudi Arabian Royal Land Forces and the Indian Army's Mechanised Infantry make up the combined 90 member contingent. The bilateral engagement focuses on honing counter-insurgency cooperation and coordination.

Key Focus Areas

Joint desert warfare training aims at assimilating best practices and tactical lessons in varied terrain. Troops will undertake joint mission-based exercises like establishing mobile checkpoints, conducting search operations and infiltration drills in semi-desert locales.

Live-fire arms practice including squad-level shooting competitions, artillery firing from armoured vehicles like BMP-2s, precision marksmanship via sniping and anti-tank drills also feature on the intense regimen.

Besides combat activities, cultural visits to showcase Indian hospitality have also been scheduled for the Saudi contingent during off-duty hours.

Strategic Dimensions

While tactical skills development forms a major goal, the symbolic value and timing carries significance too. Former rivals India and Saudi Arabia only upgraded relations to a 'Strategic Partnership' in 2019. Defence partnerships further materialized after signing a landmark 'Green Strategic Partnership' agreement encompassing security cooperation among other spheres during PM Modi's 2021 visit.

In light of recent attacks against Saudi interests by Houthi rebels in Yemen sponsored by Riyadh's rival Iran, beefing up military capacities via exchanges and denying terror sanctuaries hold mutual priority. India similarly faces cross-border terror from Pakistan. Joint action can deter state-sponsored violence.

Evolving West Asian Geopolitics

The joint exercise interestingly comes amidst a reshaping of Gulf geopolitics with Saudi exploring new partnerships like Turkey while rival Iran inked a $400 billion economic deal with China, its top oil importer. India hence can showcase willingness to elevate security ties.

Operational Experience in Desert Warfare

For India, the bilateral war games allow testing tactics and technologies for western sector desert warfare a decade after hosting a similar joint exercise with Oman in the Thar region focused on interdicting intruders.

Lessons can further aid securing vital energy supply routes in Western Asia and deny terrorists leverage as regional volatility persists. Upskilling soldiers in unfamiliar harsh, sandy terrain also expands capacities.

Building Bonds between Armed Forces

Beyond tactical gains, the unscripted interactions help build mutual understanding and rapport between Saudi and Indian armed forces at multiple levels. First-hand cultural immersion often enables trust more than protocols alone.

These foundations can anchor long-term strategic relationships as defence cooperation expands to intelligence sharing, counterterror capacities, operational logistics etc building on existing goodwill.

Steadily Advancing India-Saudi Defence Ties

While the 'SADA TANSEEQ' joint exercise charts a new milestone, defence ties have already made significant progress in recent years manifesting in various forms:

1. High Level Exchanges

Extensive top-level parleys including visits by PM Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have set the vision for strategic cooperation. The first naval exercise 'Al-Mohed Al-Hindi' happened in 2021 itself.

2. Boosting Indigenous Capabilities

Collaborative ventures to manufacture munitions, drones, software and other matériel locally under Saudi's Vision 2030 economic transformation relying on partnerships.

3. Maritime Security

Ensuring freedom of navigation in West Asian waters given extensive energy supplies transiting daily from the Gulf region carrying huge trade volumes. Offering protection solutions.

4. Counterterrorism

Denying financiers and masterminds of cross-border terror physical sanctuary or logistics assistance via intelligence cooperation and blacklisting.

Thus joint exercises like SADA TANSEEQ aid the ongoing expansion of defence ties between two nations aligned on security objectives as regional volatility poses shared threats. They hope to scale up across more areas ahead.