Indian Army Joins U.S. Troops in Alaska for Yudh Abhyas 2025 Military Exercise Amid Tariff Disputes and SCO Summit Diplomacy

An Indian Army contingent has landed in Alaska to take part in the 21st edition of Yudh Abhyas 2025, the annual India–U.S. joint military exercise, being held at Fort Wainwright from September 1 to 14, 2025.

Representational Image Source: IndoPacNews

This year’s edition brings together soldiers of the Madras Regiment and the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment “Bobcats” of the Arctic Wolves Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, in one of the toughest cold-weather environments. 

The focus will be on high-altitude warfare, heliborne operations, casualty evacuation, and integrated use of artillery, aviation, and electronic warfare systems.

In addition to tactical manoeuvres and live-fire exercises, experts from both armies will hold working groups on unmanned aerial systems (UAS), counter-drone warfare, information warfare, communications, and logistics. 

The exercise aims to boost interoperability for United Nations peacekeeping operations and strengthen readiness for multi-domain challenges in extreme conditions.

India and U.S. will conduct the 21st edition of the joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas ’25’ in Alaska from Sept 1–16, 2025. 🇮🇳🇺🇸

The Indian Army’s Madras Regiment will lead a 400-member contingent. pic.twitter.com/NZi3hs2Jh1

— Tar21Operator (@Tar21Operator) August 14, 2025

The timing of the drills is geopolitically significant. 

They begin just as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where calls for a multipolar world dominated the agenda. 

An Indian Army contingent has reached Fort Wainwright, Alaska 🇺🇸 for the 21st edition of Yudh Abhyas 2025 (01 – 14 Sept).

Alongside U.S. 11th Airborne Division troops, they’ll train in heliborne ops, mountain warfare, UAS/counter-UAS & joint tactical drills—boosting UN PKO &… pic.twitter.com/FgXR39ga22

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 1, 2025

Meanwhile, New Delhi’s relations with Washington have been tested by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Indian exports over continued Russian oil imports.

Despite tariff strains, the launch of Yudh Abhyas 2025 demonstrates that India–U.S. defence cooperation remains strong, even as India deepens its engagement with Russia and China in Eurasian forums. 

For the U.S., the exercise underscores the importance of India in Indo-Pacific defence frameworks, while for India, it reflects a policy of strategic autonomy--maintaining military interoperability with Washington while expanding ties with Moscow and Beijing.