Exercise Yudh Abhyas

Context: An Indian Army contingent has reached Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to participate in the 21st edition of the India–US Joint Military Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2025. 

About Yudh Abhyas

• Nature: An annual joint military exercise between India and the USA.
• Start Year: Conducted regularly since 2004.
• Objective: Aims to enhance military cooperation, promote training exchanges, encourage cultural interaction, and develop joint operational skills.
• Previous Edition: Held at the Mahajan Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.

About the 2025 Edition

Participants

• Indian Army contingent: Personnel from a battalion of the Madras Regiment.
• US Army contingent: Soldiers from the 5th Infantry Regiment (“Bobcats”) of the Arctic Wolves Brigade Combat Team, part of the US 11th Airborne Division.

Scope and Focus of Training

• Tactical drills: Heliborne operations, mountain warfare, and integrated use of artillery, aviation, and electronic warfare systems.
• Use of technology: Employment of surveillance resources and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
• Joint planning: Troops will engage in coordinated tactical manoeuvres and live-fire exercises in high-altitude warfare scenarios.

Other Exercises between India and the USA

• Army:  Vajra Prahar
• Navy: MALABAR (Multilateral), SALVEX
• Air Force: Cope India, Red Flag (Multilateral)
• Exercise Tiger Triumph: A bilateral, India-U.S. tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise.

Blue Dragons

Context: Several beaches in Spain were closed after large numbers of blue dragons, a venomous sea slug species. 

About Blue Dragons (Glaucus atlanticus)

• Species: A small sea slug (~4 cm long) that drifts on the ocean surface with currents.
• Floating Mechanism: Floats upside down by storing an air bubble in its stomach.
• Camouflage: Blue on the upper side blends with the sea; white underside blends with sunlight when seen from below.
• Feeding Habits: Consumes jellyfish and venomous siphonophores (e.g., Portuguese man o’ war).
• Unique Trait: Stores stinging cells from prey in finger-like body structures, making its sting stronger than the jellyfish it feeds on.
• Impact on Humans: Sting can cause severe pain, redness, swelling, nausea, and vomiting.
• Geographical Distribution:
• • Native Habitat: Warm tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
  • Recorded Sightings: Found in Australia, South Africa, and the US in recent years.
  • Mediterranean Rarity: First recorded in the Canary Islands (1839), later in the Balearic Islands in the early 20th century, but sightings remained rare until the last 5 years.

Reasons for Arrival in Spain

• Warming Seas: Linked to the rapid warming of the Mediterranean Sea, one of the fastest-warming seas globally.
• Rising temperatures bring their food source (Portuguese man o’ war) into the region, enabling the species’ survival and proliferation

Exercise Yudh Kaushal 3.0

Context: The Indian Army conducted Exercise Yudh Kaushal 3.0 in the high-altitude Kameng region of Arunachal Pradesh.

About Yudh Kaushal 3.0

It is a series of Indian Army exercises aimed at enhancing combat preparedness, improving operational efficiency, and promoting the adoption of modern technologies.

Key Features of the Yudh Kaushal 3.0

• Conducted by: General Officer Commanding, Gajraj Corps.
• Operations demonstrated:
  • Drone surveillance and real-time target acquisition.
  • Precision strikes.
  • Air–littoral operations.
  • Synchronised battlefield manoeuvres in difficult terrain.
• Debut of ASHNI Platoons:
  • Objective: Integration of advanced technology with traditional combat skills.
  • Aim: Provide decisive battlefield advantage.
• Participation of Indian Defence Industry: Reflecting India’s focus on Aatmanirbhar Bharat and indigenous innovation in defence preparedness.
• Significance of Yudh Kaushal 3.0
  • Validated combat effectiveness in high-altitude, harsh terrain.
  • Reinforced the Army’s transition towards Multi-domain operations, Adoption of advanced, indigenous technologies.

Afghanistan Earthquake

Context: Recently, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck northeast Afghanistan on August 31, 2025, killing over 800 people and injuring at least 2,000.

Why Afghanistan Experiences Frequent Earthquakes?

• Tectonic Location: Situated on active fault lines where the Indian Plate collides with the Eurasian Plate, moving ~45 mm/year.
• Stress Release: Regular tectonic stress release leads to destructive earthquakes.
• Seismic Energy Contribution: The Region contributes ~15% of global seismic energy release annually.
• Hindu Kush Activity: Since 1900, 12 earthquakes of magnitude >7 have been recorded in the Hindu Kush region.
• Tectonic Formation: The Same collision is responsible for the rise of the Himalayas.

What Causes an Earthquake?

• Slip Along Faults: Sudden movement between Earth’s blocks along faults releases stored strain energy.
• Seismic Waves: Energy travels outward as waves, shaking the ground.

Why the Depth of an Earthquake Matters?

• Shallow Quakes (0–70 km): More destructive as energy reaches the surface with higher intensity.
• Deep Quakes: Spread wider but lose strength before reaching the surface.
• Case Example: Aug 31 quake at 8 km depth was shallow and highly damaging.

About Afghanistan

• Location: A landlocked, mountainous nation in Southern Asia, often called the “Gateway to Asia.”
• Borders: Shares boundaries with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan (north), Iran (west), Pakistan (southeast), and China & India (northeast).
• Geographical Features:
• • Earthquakes: Located at the Eurasian–Indian plate junction, making it highly prone to frequent earthquakes.
  • Mountains: Dominated by the Hindu Kush, with the Pamir Mountains in the northeast and the Safed Koh range in the south.
  • Highest Peak: Mount Nowshak.
  • Rivers: Major rivers include the Amu Darya, Helmand, and Kabul.
  • Passes: Important routes such as the Khyber Pass and Shebar Pass connect Afghanistan with neighbouring regions.
  • Climate: Experiences a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters.

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