India, Japan Joint Military Exercise Dharma Guardian 2026 Begins At Chaubatia

India and Japan will hold their seventh edition of the joint military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian 2026’ at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand from Tuesday (February 24, 2026), aimed at enhancing their interoperability during joint urbar warfare and counter-terrorism operations.

The exercise will go on till March 9, 2026, covering a two-week-long training that will refine their joint planning for operations, synchronise their tactical drills, and practise specialised combat skills.

The Indian Army posted on X on Monday (February 23, 2026) that the key activities during the exercise would include establishing a temporary operating base, developing an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance grid, mobile check posts, cordon and search operations, heliborne missions, and house intervention drills.

“Dharma Guardian 2026 reaffirms the growing India-Japan defence partnership and shared commitment to regional security,” the X post said, noting that the exercise would provide both armies an opportunity to share best practices, learn from each other’s operational experience in urban warfare and counter-terrorism, and build trust between the two forces.

The seventh edition of the Dharma Guardian exercise comes after successful completion of the sixth edition held at East Fuji Training Area in Japan on the same dates in 2025. The sixth edition marked a significant milestone, as it was held on a larger scale than the previous editions, with participation from troops at the company strength.

India and Japan have over the years deepened their military ties beyond just exercises. In January 2026, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi launched a new Artificial Intelligence dialogue and decided to convene a Joint Working Group on critical minerals, during the 18th Strategic Dialogue between the two nations, highlighting the expanding scope of the bilateral relationship.