New Delhi
The Indian Air Force and Japanese Air Self-Defense Force have begun Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur, aimed at strengthening interoperability, operational coordination and mutual understanding between the forces during the bilateral exercise.
The exercise is being conducted from September 9 to 22 and marks the second edition of Veer Guardian. The Japanese contingent arrived in India with two JASDF C-2 transport aircraft, which landed at Jodhpur, the IAF said on Saturday.
The exercise comes amid a steady expansion of India-Japan defence cooperation, with both countries seeking closer coordination under their Special Strategic and Global Partnership. The partnership focuses on peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
The latest air exercise will help the two air forces improve joint operations and strengthen understanding of each other’s procedures. Such engagements also support broader defence cooperation between the countries.
The exercise follows a recent Japan-India Defence Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. The two sides highlighted the importance of sharing assessments of regional and international security developments amid heightened global tensions.
India and Japan also reiterated opposition to unilateral actions that threaten freedom and safety of navigation and overflight, and attempts to alter the status quo through force or coercion.
Singh and Koizumi reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and agreed to deepen practical cooperation in maritime security. They also signed a Memorandum of Arrangement on Maritime Security Cooperation, adding momentum to the broader defence partnership.
