Executive Summary

India is working towards improving its defence diplomatic efforts by conducting various military exercises with partner countries, in which Harimau Shakti with Malayasia is one. It’s an annual exercise in which every year different drills are being conducted. The report tries to analyse the larger picture of India and Malaysia relationship with respect to defence, economics and trade. Its also explains how these exercises become an important tool in achieving foreign policy goals and helps to enhance strategic partnership between the countries.

Background

India – Malaysia bilateral joint military exercise Harimau Shakti, which is an annual training event is conducted every year alternatively in India and Malaysia. It was conducted this year in Bentong camp, Malaysia from 2nd to 15th December 2024. First Edition of the exercise happened in 2012. Recent edition of 2023 was conducted in Umroi Cantonment, Meghalaya, India and of 2022 was held in Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia and of 2023. This year, Indian contingent was represented by 78 personnel from Mahar regiment and 123 personnel from The Royal Malaysian Regiment. This exercise is a part of the larger canvas of defence and security cooperation which has been provided by a MoU on Malaysia-India Defence cooperation signed in February 1992.

Military Analysis

Main focus of this exercise was to built joint capabilities in counter insurgency and jungle warfare. David John Kilcullen an Australian author, strategist, and counterinsurgency expert defines “counter insurgency as an umbrella term that describes the complete range of measures that governments take to defeat insurgencies…there is no template, no single set of techniques for countering insurgencies. Counterinsurgency is simply whatever governments do to defeat rebellions”. There are three main approaches to counter insurgency and one of them is ‘enemy centric approach”. In this the focus is on the elimination of insurgents/ terrorists by military actions like recce patrol, ambush and attack etc. The exercise was divided in two phases in which first phase was focused on cross training between both the country’s army which included lectures, demonstrations, and practices of various drills in jungle terrain. In the second phase both the forces took active part in a simulated exercise, wherein troops were executed in following drills.

• Anti-MT Ambush, it refers to a variety of measures to prevent or respond to ambushes like anti-ambush drills, counter ambush tactics which includes surveillance, counter ambush response training.

• Occupation of Harbour: The occupation of a harbour is a critical military tactical procedure for establishing a secure temporary base during field operations.

• Carrying out Recce Patrol, Ambush and an Attack on area taken over by the terrorists.

Operational Assessment

The signing of MoU between Malaysia and India for defence cooperation in February 1992 led to setting up of Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM) which is a bilateral institutional mechanism for high-level defence discussions between India and Malaysia. It also established two sub-committee meetings namely Sub Committee on Military Cooperation and Joint Sub Committee on Defence Science Technology and Industry Cooperation. Recent edition of MIDCOM which was held in New Delhi on September 19, 2023 was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and Deputy Secretary General (Policy), Malaysia Mr Mohd Yani bin Daud. Both sides assessed the existing defence cooperation and aimed to enhance the partnership between the two-armed forces in emerging domains of cyber security, maritime security and issues pertaining to global commons. Indian defence secretary also proposed an eight-point proposal to his counterpart which included Government to government-level engagement, Tri-Service cooperation, Training, UN Peacekeeping, Bilateral Services Engagement, Defence Industrial Cooperation, Research & Development and Regional/ Sub-Regional Engagements.

In addition to exercise between two armies, both countries have also conducted naval and air exercises in past, namely Exercise Samudra Laksmana(Navy) and Air Force joint exercise in August 2018. Indian Army has rich experience of counter insurgency operations in jungle terrain due to active terrorism and insurgency in Kashmir and North east. These bilateral exercises can definitely help in increasing efficiency of Rashtriya rifles and Assam rifles in their areas of operations.

Impact assessment

Malaysia is the one of the most important partners of India in the multilateral forum of Association of South East Asian nations (ASEAN). Being situated in South China sea and near to Strait of Malacca, its geographical location is also very strategic for India. Both countries have been steadily developing their defence trade and cooperation, with several key developments in recent years. Recently when Malaysia floated a tender for buying 18 single engine fighter aircrafts, India’s Tejas was one of the contenders in it. Despite losing this bid, India remains committed to expanding Tejas exports to Malaysia and world. India has also expressed its willingness to supply other defence equipment to Malaysia and it is expected that India’s defence diplomacy will bear some fruits for its defence exports in future. India’s partnership with Malaysia is not just restricted to defence sector but has historical and cultural linkages too. They also have a very vibrant political and promising trade relation, India is one among the top 10 trading partners of Malayasia with bilateral trade touching $20 billion. India’s foreign policy is seeking a more robust global role and navigating the Indo-Pacific regional landscape amid China’s influence and this has intensified their focus on relations with Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is taken as a strategic and a very dependable partner by Indian diplomatic and strategic community in the South East Asian region.

Conclusion

India’s approach towards South East Asia has evolved with time, as after 2015 the new NDA government changed “Look East policy” to “Act East policy”. This is not just change in the name but in the philosophy and approach of the government. Malaysia also being an important country in the Indo pacific automatically becomes an important part in the strategy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last visit highlighted the need for mutual cooperation in countering terrorism and extremism, areas where both countries share common concerns. The bilateral military exercises are not just aimed to improve combat efficiencies of both armies rather aims and enhance understanding and partnership between the countries at a larger level.