AKIPRESS.COM - The Indian Army has begun a week-long training of military trainers from ASEAN Plus countries in Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) in the backdrop of the upcoming multinational Field Training Exercise (FTX) to be held from 2 March 2016, reports Indian Express Pune.

Exercise FORCE 18, the largest multinational FTX, is being conducted by the Indian Army from March 2-8 in Pune. With focus on HMA and PKO, this will be the maiden multinational exercise ever conducted by ground forces on Indian soil and will see the participation of 18 ASEAN Plus nations including China, USA, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

“The essence of the exercise would be to learn and share the best practices with other armies of the world and display India’s commitment towards peace and stability in the region,” a press release by the Defence PRO said. Officials said that the training would be conducted at Aundh Military Station and College of Military Engineering.