Rapid Fire
7th Edition of Exercise DUSTLIK
- 13 Apr 2026
- 2 min read
The Indian Armed Forces is set to participate in the 7th edition of the India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise, DUSTLIK, in Namangan, Uzbekistan, aimed at enhancing bilateral military cooperation and operational synergy.
- Exercise DUSTLIK: The exercise, first held in 2019, is an annual bilateral event conducted alternately in India and Uzbekistan.
- 7th edition features Tri-services integration training alongside personnel from the Uzbekistan Armed Forces.
- Primary Objective: The exercise aims to strengthen defence cooperation and enhance joint operational capabilities in semi-mountainous terrain.
- It focuses on developing a unified command-and-control framework through joint tactical drills, strike missions, and land navigation exercises, culminating in special operations for the neutralisation of unlawful armed groups.
Uzbekistan
- Location: Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan (north), Kyrgyzstan (northeast), Tajikistan (southeast), Afghanistan (south), and Turkmenistan (southwest).
- Physical Features: The country is largely arid, with most of its area covered by the Kyzylkum Desert and the Turan Plain.
- Mountain ranges such as the Tien Shan, Gissar, and Alay lie in the east, while fertile regions like the Fergana Valley and Zeravshan Valley support agriculture and historic cities like Samarkand and Bukhara.
- Key Significance: It is a doubly landlocked country (surrounded only by landlocked countries); the only other such country is Liechtenstein.
- Uzbekistan holds strategic importance in Central Asia, includes the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan, and plays a key role in regional geopolitics and India’s engagement with Central Asia.
| Read more: India and Uzbekistan Signed BIT |
