On 13 November 2026, a 170-member Indian Defence Forces contingent left for Sri Lanka to take part in Mitra Shakti 2026, the 12th edition of the India–Sri Lanka joint military exercise. The two armies will train together at the Army Training School, Maduru Oya, Sri Lanka, from 13 to 26 November 2026. The Indian group is drawn mainly from a battalion of the Rajputana Rifles, with troops from other arms and services and personnel of the Indian Air Force.
Joint exercises are a reliable source of questions in the NDA General Ability paper, because each one gives a clean, matchable fact: this exercise, that country, this venue. But the matching table is only the entry price. A candidate who also knows what the two armies actually practise, why they practise it under a United Nations banner, and how this exercise fits into India's wider ties with Sri Lanka can answer the harder statement-based items too. This article builds all three layers.
The exercise at a glance
Everything below is as stated in the Ministry of Defence release of 13 November 2026.
- Name and edition. Mitra Shakti 2026, the 12th edition.
- Dates. 13 to 26 November 2026, a 14-day exercise.
- Venue. Army Training School, Maduru Oya, Sri Lanka.
- Indian contingent. 170 members, drawn mainly from a battalion of the Rajputana Rifles, along with troops from other arms and services and personnel of the Indian Air Force.
- Aim. To improve the joint capability of both armies to carry out counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban environment under a United Nations mandate.
- Pattern. An annual bilateral exercise held alternately in India and Sri Lanka.
The release does not give the size or the regiment of the Sri Lankan contingent, so we do not guess at it.
What the two armies will actually do
The release describes a three-part programme.
First, fitness and drills. The exercise "will focus on" physical fitness, refined tactical drills and better coordination between the two contingents. This sounds routine, and it is the foundation. Troops from different armies use different drill words, different hand signals and different ways of clearing a room. Two weeks of shared fitness work and basic drills turns two groups of soldiers into one team before the harder tasks begin.
Second, the tactical menu. The training covers joint planning, rehearsing tactical operations and specialised combat skills. The named skills are worth reading one at a time, because together they describe the problem the exercise is built around:
- Road block operations. Setting up and manning a checkpoint to stop and search vehicles.
- Urban patrolling. Moving through built-up streets in a way that denies an attacker an easy ambush.
- Vehicle convoy protection. Keeping a column of vehicles safe on a road that an enemy can mine or ambush.
- Area ambush. Laying a trap across a zone to intercept a group that is moving through it.
- Crowd dispersal. Handling a crowd with minimum force, the skill that separates a policing-type operation from a battle.
- Combined arms operations against fortified positions. Infantry, support weapons and other arms working together to take a defended building or position.
Notice the mix. Most of these are tasks for a force that must operate among civilians, in towns and along roads. Only the last is a conventional assault. That is exactly what "counter-terrorism in a semi-urban environment" means in practice.
Third, the validation exercise. The programme ends with a "comprehensive validation exercise", in which both contingents apply together the tactics, techniques and procedures they practised. Almost every Indian joint exercise follows this shape: a build-up period, then a final test. In earlier years senior officers of both armies have watched this final phase.
One difference from recent years is worth noting. The 2023 and 2025 releases for this exercise mentioned drones, counter-drone systems, helicopters, heliborne operations and the Army Martial Arts Routine (AMAR). The 2026 release does not mention them. That does not mean they are absent, only that the PIB text does not list them, so a candidate should not state it as a fact.
Why "under a United Nations mandate"?
The exercise is framed as joint counter-terrorism training "under a United Nations mandate". Earlier releases for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions put it more precisely: operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
The UN Charter is organised by chapter, and the NDA paper likes the difference between two of them:
| Chapter | Title | Key articles | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| VI | Pacific settlement of disputes | 33–38 | Persuasion: negotiation, mediation, inquiry |
| VII | Action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression | 39–51 | Enforcement: sanctions (Article 41), force (Article 42), self-defence (Article 51) |
A peacekeeping force sent under Chapter VII carries a robust mandate, meaning it may use force beyond self-defence to protect civilians or carry out its task. Such a force meets armed groups, hostile crowds and road ambushes, which is exactly the list of skills above. India has long been one of the largest troop contributors to UN peacekeeping, so training with a partner army for this kind of mandate has a practical use, and not only a diplomatic one.
Twelve editions: how the exercise has moved
PIB releases from 2021 to 2026 let us line up the recent editions. The pattern of alternating hosts is plain.
| Edition | Year | Host and venue | Indian contingent (as stated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th | 2019 | India: Foreign Training Node, Pune | not stated in later releases |
| 8th | 4–15 Oct 2021 | Sri Lanka: Combat Training School, Ampara | 120, an infantry battalion group |
| 9th | 16–29 Nov 2023 | India: Aundh, Pune | 120, mainly Maratha Light Infantry |
| 10th | 12–25 Aug 2024 | Sri Lanka: Army Training School, Maduru Oya | 106, a battalion of the Rajputana Rifles |
| 11th | 10–23 Nov 2025 | India: Foreign Training Node, Belagavi, Karnataka | 170, mainly the Rajput Regiment |
| 12th | 13–26 Nov 2026 | Sri Lanka: Army Training School, Maduru Oya | 170, mainly the Rajputana Rifles |
Three things stand out.
- The numbering skips a year. The 8th edition was in 2021 and the 9th in 2023, so there was no edition in 2022, and none between the 7th (2019) and the 8th (2021) in 2020. Counting back from the 7th edition in 2019 at one a year points to a start in 2013, which is the year secondary sources give; PIB itself does not state it in these releases.
- Host alternation is strict. India hosted in 2019, 2023 and 2025. Sri Lanka hosted in 2021, 2024 and 2026. The 12th edition returns to Maduru Oya, which also hosted the 10th.
- Rajputana Rifles and Rajput Regiment are different regiments. The 10th and 12th editions drew mainly on the Rajputana Rifles; the 11th drew on the Rajput Regiment. Examiners enjoy near-identical names.
The Rajputana Rifles is the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army, raised in 1775. Its motto is Veer Bhogya Vasundhara, and its regimental centre is in Delhi Cantonment. It is a separate regiment from the Rajput Regiment, even though the names sound alike.
The wider India–Sri Lanka defence link
Mitra Shakti is the army leg of a three-service relationship.
- Army: Mitra Shakti. Counter-terrorism and sub-conventional training, annual, alternating hosts.
- Navy: SLINEX. The Sri Lanka–India bilateral naval exercise, conceptualised in 2005. The 12th edition was held at Colombo from 14 to 18 August 2025, after the 11th at Visakhapatnam in December 2024. Our earlier explainer on SLINEX and the harbour and sea phases covers the 13th edition in September 2026.
- Framework. India and Sri Lanka signed an MoU on Defence Cooperation during the Prime Minister's visit to Colombo, recorded in the list of outcomes released on 5 April 2025.
Geography explains the interest. Sri Lanka lies a short distance from India's southern tip, across the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, and it sits beside the sea lanes between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Stable defence ties with the island are part of India's neighbourhood policy and its maritime vision, MAHASAGAR. There is also shared history: the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, under which the Indian Peace Keeping Force was sent to the island, and the end of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009. Both armies therefore have direct experience of counter-insurgency, which is why counter-terrorism is the natural subject of their joint drill.
India's army exercises: the matching table
NDA papers repeatedly ask for pairs. Learn this table whole rather than one row at a time. The full list is in our Defence GK guide to military exercises.
| Exercise | Partner country |
|---|---|
| Mitra Shakti | Sri Lanka |
| Maitree | Thailand |
| Surya Kiran | Nepal |
| Sampriti | Bangladesh |
| Ekuverin | Maldives |
| Yudh Abhyas | United States |
| Nomadic Elephant | Mongolia |
| Dharma Guardian | Japan |
| Ajeya Warrior | United Kingdom |
| Shakti | France |
| Harimau Shakti | Malaysia |
| Garuda Shakti | Indonesia |
| Dustlik | Uzbekistan |
For comparison with a sister exercise, see our explainer on Exercise MAITREE-XV with Thailand, which has the same counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism design under Chapter VII. A useful memory aid: "Mitra" means friend in Sanskrit and Hindi, and "Shakti" means strength, so Mitra Shakti is, roughly, "friendly strength". The same word appears in Shakti (France), Garuda Shakti (Indonesia) and Harimau Shakti (Malaysia), so do not use the word "Shakti" alone to identify a country.
What to watch next
- The closing day, 26 November 2026. The validation exercise and any statement from the Army at the end of the two weeks will show what the two sides actually rehearsed, including whether drones and helicopters featured.
- The next edition. By the alternating pattern, the 13th edition falls to India in 2027.
- Naval and air links. SLINEX continues in its own cycle, and the 2025 MoU gives both countries a framework for training exchanges across the three services.
🔑 Revision block
The exercise. Mitra Shakti 2026, 12th edition, India–Sri Lanka joint military (army) exercise, 13–26 November 2026, 14 days, at Army Training School, Maduru Oya, Sri Lanka.
Troops. 170-member Indian contingent, mainly a battalion of the Rajputana Rifles, with other arms and services and Indian Air Force personnel. The contingent departed on 13 November 2026.
Aim. Joint counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban environment under a United Nations mandate (earlier releases: Chapter VII).
Skills. Road blocks, urban patrolling, convoy protection, area ambush, crowd dispersal, combined arms against fortified positions; ends with a validation exercise.
Pattern. Annual, alternately in India and Sri Lanka. 9th: Pune (2023). 10th: Maduru Oya (Aug 2024). 11th: Belagavi, Karnataka (Nov 2025). 12th: Maduru Oya (Nov 2026). Next: India.
Related links. SLINEX (navy, conceptualised 2005); MoU on Defence Cooperation, 5 April 2025. Rajputana Rifles: oldest rifle regiment, raised 1775. UN Charter: Chapter VI = peaceful settlement; Chapter VII = enforcement (Articles 39–51).
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. Exercise Mitra Shakti is a joint military exercise between India and:
(a) Thailand
(b) Nepal
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) Bangladesh
→ (c)
Mitra Shakti is the India–Sri Lanka army exercise. Maitree is with Thailand, Surya Kiran with Nepal and Sampriti with Bangladesh.
Q2. Mitra Shakti 2026, the 12th edition, is being held at:
(a) Army Training School, Maduru Oya, Sri Lanka
(b) Foreign Training Node, Belagavi, Karnataka
(c) Combat Training School, Ampara, Sri Lanka
(d) Foreign Training Node, Pune, Maharashtra
→ (a)
PIB gives Maduru Oya for 13–26 November 2026. Belagavi hosted the 11th edition, Ampara the 8th and Pune the 7th and 9th.
Q3. Which of the following best describes the aim of Mitra Shakti 2026 as stated by the Ministry of Defence?
(a) Joint anti-submarine warfare at sea
(b) Joint high-altitude mountain warfare
(c) Joint air defence of a coastline
(d) Joint counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban environment
→ (d)
The release speaks of counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban environment under a UN mandate. Options (a) and (c) are naval or air themes and (b) belongs to other exercises.
Q4. The Indian contingent for Mitra Shakti 2026 is drawn mainly from a battalion of which regiment?
(a) Rajput Regiment
(b) Rajputana Rifles
(c) Maratha Light Infantry
(d) Gorkha Rifles
→ (b)
The release names the Rajputana Rifles. The Rajput Regiment supplied the 2025 contingent and the Maratha Light Infantry the 2023 one.
Q5. Consider the following statements about Mitra Shakti:
1. It is held every year in India only.
2. The 2026 edition is the second in a row to be held in Sri Lanka.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (d)
It alternates between India and Sri Lanka, so statement 1 is wrong. The 2025 edition was at Belagavi in India, so statement 2 is also wrong.
Q6. Which chapter of the UN Charter deals with action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression?
(a) Chapter V
(b) Chapter VII
(c) Chapter VIII
(d) Chapter XI
→ (b)
Chapter VII (Articles 39–51) covers enforcement action. Chapter VI, not listed here, covers peaceful settlement of disputes.
Q7. SLINEX, the other standing India–Sri Lanka military exercise, is a:
(a) Bilateral naval exercise
(b) Bilateral air force exercise
(c) Multilateral army exercise
(d) Bilateral special forces exercise
→ (a)
SLINEX is the Sri Lanka–India naval exercise, conceptualised in 2005. The army equivalent is Mitra Shakti.
Q8. Match the exercise with the partner country. Which pair is correctly matched?
(a) Harimau Shakti: Indonesia
(b) Garuda Shakti: Malaysia
(c) Dustlik: Uzbekistan
(d) Ekuverin: Nepal
→ (c)
Dustlik is with Uzbekistan. Harimau Shakti is with Malaysia, Garuda Shakti with Indonesia and Ekuverin with the Maldives.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Joint exercises are near-guaranteed material in the General Ability paper, and they are asked in four ways.
The first is exercise-to-country matching, the most common form. Options are built from sister names, so "Shakti" alone is never enough. Revise the table above as a whole.
The second is the edition-and-venue item: which edition, held where, and whether the venue alternates between the two countries. The hook this cycle is the 12th edition at Maduru Oya.
The third is the UN Charter item: Chapter VI against Chapter VII, and Articles 41 and 42. It is asked in its own right in polity and international-relations contexts too.
The fourth is the regiment item: which regiment supplied the contingent, with near-identical names such as the Rajputana Rifles and the Rajput Regiment. We describe the pattern only, and not any exact past question.
Preparing for NDA? Revise exercises as pairs, with the partner, the host rotation and the theme on one line, and learn the services behind them with our Defence GK guide to military exercises. Build the base with our NDA study material, follow the daily NDA current affairs, and train with serving-standard faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Source: PIB / Ministry of Defence, "Indian Defence Forces contingent departs for India–Sri Lanka joint military exercise 'Mitra Shakti 2026'", 13 November 2026; PIB / Ministry of Defence releases on earlier editions of Mitra Shakti, 2 and 5 October 2021, 16 November 2023, 12 August 2024 and 10 November 2025; PIB / Ministry of Defence releases on SLINEX of 16 December 2024 and 15 and 21 August 2025; PIB / Prime Minister's Office, "List of Outcomes: Visit of Prime Minister to Sri Lanka", 5 April 2025. Rajputana Rifles history and the first year of the series cross-checked with standard open references.
✍️ Written by Col Vijayant Thakur — Veteran, Indian Army; SSB & defence-studies faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.