SEPTEMBER 5, 2024 – Pacific Air Force units arrived for Tarang Shakti 24 Phase II at Jodhpur Air Force Station, Aug. 30. The exercise, which was broken into two phases to allow for optimum participation from 10 nations and 18 observing nations, is the largest multinational exercise India has held.
With an array of participants, the Indian Air Force led exercise aims to foster diverse ties that strengthen cooperation within a myriad of capabilities such as counter air, reconnaissance, airlift, air defense and close air support.
“Tarang Shakti is an opportunity to combine cultures and perspectives while building security and interoperability, with our participating and observing partners. The spirit of collaboration and embracing diversity is key to not only better executing flying maneuvers, but also to broaden people’s minds,” said Indian Air Marshal AP Singh, Indian Air Force Air Staff vice chief.
Adding to that collaboration are four PACAF affiliated units as well as units with the Royal Australian Air Force, Sri Lanka Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, Republic of Singapore Air Force and United Arab Emirates Air Force.
The U.S. Air Force units and aircraft participating include the 25th Fighter Squadron’s A-10 Thunderbolt II, the 148th Fighter Wing’s F-16C Fighting Falcon, the 909th Air Refueling Squadron’s KC-135 Stratotanker and the 139th Air Wing’s C-130H Hercules. These air frames and units enable a combination of close air support, combat airlift, aerial refueling and multirole fighter capabilities that accoutrement the array of multinational fighters, reconnaissance, airlift and attack aircraft crews and personnel participating.
In addition to tactical capabilities, the multiple nations’ involvement in this exercise supports the cooperation established in phase I, enriching connections between joint and allied forces that enhance the capacity to maintain strategic advantages and shared initiatives.
“Tarang Shakti provides the United States the opportunity to continue to build upon the strong strategic partnerships we’ve developed with India and the other nations participating in Tarang Shakti 2024,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Justin Davis, 25th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander and Deployed Forces commander in India. “We hope to accomplish this by tactically integrating with partner nation Air Forces in the large force exercise construct that Tarang Shakti provides. By flying and training alongside our counterparts, we work towards a shared understanding of the complex Indo-Pacific operational environment.”
This unified understanding is important because in contingency operations decisions need to be made quickly. According to Davis, clarity created by shared experiences and perspectives is especially helpful to the Indo-Pacific area of operations.
“There is no AOR that is more important than the Pacific,” Davis said. “As allies and partners, we grow stronger by developing relationships through exercises like this. The more that we come together to train and to share, the more we learn from and understand one another in ways that allow us to operate most effectively in this complex and diverse AOR.”
In addition to developing relationships, the perspectives shared here allow nations to add more detail and greater precision to operations both in the air and on the ground, enabling a greater capacity to work together seamlessly in any environment.
“What you learn on the ground is just as important as what you learn in the air,” Singh said. “In regard to geopolitical landscapes, Tarang Shakti provides a unique opportunity to refine and learn about one another’s operations, strengthening the security and collectability of our partners.”
By Master Sgt. Natasha Stannard
Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs