The program emphasizes company-level joint training, including field exercises, combat discussions, lectures, demonstrations, and a culminating validation exercise, along with sharing operational experiences and showcasing contemporary equipment and technologies.

The Indian contingent is primarily drawn from 9 Gorkha Rifles, while the Royal Thai contingent comprises personnel from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division.

The 15th Maitree joint military exercise between India and Thailand will run from August 18 to 31, focusing on enhancing combined counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist capabilities in jungle and semi-urban environments under UN Charter Chapter VII.

Maitree follows the 2025 edition held at the Foreign Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya, and traces its roots to 2006 as a platform for sharing best practices and strengthening military cooperation.

The overarching aim is to foster military cooperation, interoperability, and mutual understanding to reinforce 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 participating.