The Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force concurrently conducted three massive and high-tech exercises in October-November 2025, across the full span of the country. Codenamed Astra Shakti (weapon power), Trishul (trident), and Poorvi Prachanda Prahar (eastern fierce attack), these exercises covered the northern Himalayan, western, and northeastern theatres respectively.

Ex Astra Shakti was conducted in the high-altitude areas of Ladakh, showcasing long-range precision artillery firepower, the use of swarm drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and commando operations in the icy expanse of the region. The exercise was witnessed by the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, and emphasised multi-domain dominance and synergy with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). It was described as a “thunderous validation” of India’s readiness and technological prowess in one of the world’s most challenging battle environments.

The Indian Army redefined high-altitude warfare and added a new chapter to world military history in the first India-Pakistan War in 1947-48, by fighting at an altitude of 11,575 feet above sea level and even transporting battle tanks there. For the entire Western/European world, high altitude meant the Alps at 8,000 feet. ‘Alpine’ was their ultimate qualification, and ‘Himalayan’ was not known to them.

Ex Trishul (Western India) was conducted along the western frontier, specifically in the Sir Creek, the British corruption of the Baan Ganga (Baan means arrow and Ganga is the sacred river) area, the Rann of Kutch, the Saurashtra coast, and the desert regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, as well as the northern part of the........

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