India and Thailand will hold the 15th Maitree joint military exercise from mid-August to the end of the month to boost combined counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capabilities in jungle and semi-urban environments under UN Charter Chapter VII.

The aim is to strengthen military cooperation, interoperability, and mutual understanding, reinforcing longstanding bilateral ties between India and Thailand.

The exercise will be hosted at Vibhavadi Rangsit Camp in Surat Thani, Thailand, with 85 personnel from each army taking part.

Activities will center on company-level joint training, including field exercises, combat discussions, lectures, demonstrations, a culminating validation exercise, and exchanges of operational experience and demonstrations of contemporary equipment and technologies.

The training will cover jungle survival, first aid and casualty evacuation, trench-clearing drills, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in support of joint operations.

The objective is to enhance interoperability and exchange operational experience for joint counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in jungle and semi-urban environments.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Lieutenant General Norathip Phoynok, underscoring formal Thai support for the exercise.

The exercise will culminate in a validation exercise designed to demonstrate and assess joint counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism capabilities.

Indian personnel will learn Muay Thai to improve physical conditioning, agility, close-combat skills, and cultural camaraderie.

Since its inception in 2006, MAITREE has served as a platform for sharing best practices and strengthening bilateral military relations.

The last Maitree exercise occurred in September 2025 at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya, continuing a long-standing program that began in 2006.

Eighty-five Indian Army personnel from 9 Gorkha Rifles and eighty-five Thai soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division are participating, highlighting bilateral cooperation.