Context: The inaugural edition of joint military exercise ‘Desert Cyclone 2024’ involving India and the UAE is set to occur in Rajasthan from January 2 to January 15.

About Desert Cyclone 2024 :

Counter-Terrorism Operations:

  - The focus of the joint exercise is on counter-terrorism operations, encompassing missions such as joint planning, operations, and joint tactical drills.

Significance:

  - The exercise aims to boost interoperability through the exchange of best practices in urban operations.

  - It seeks to enhance the skills of armed forces in various facets of war-fighting by fostering collaboration with armed forces from different nations.

Defence Cooperation between India and UAE:

Collaborative Activities:

  - Defence cooperation involves activities such as port calls, defence training, supply of defence inventory, and the implementation of regular exchange programs.

  - Additionally, joint air forces exercises, biennial International Defence Exhibition (IDEX), and the exercise 'Zayed Talwar' with the UAE are part of the collaboration efforts to enhance interoperability and synergy between the two navies.

- Potential Areas of Bilateral Cooperation:

  - Areas of potential cooperation include the production and development of defence equipment, joint exercises of armed forces, sharing of information on strategy and doctrines, and technical cooperation, particularly in the domain of Intermediate Jet Trainer.