In a powerful display of military might, India recently concluded Exercise Trishul, a large-scale tri-service exercise involving approximately 30,000 troops, 25 ships, and a wide array of fighter jets. This comprehensive drill, which ran for nearly two weeks, showcased the nation's integrated combat capabilities across land, air, and sea.

Exercise Trishul brought together the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Border Security Force to test and validate India's joint warfighting capabilities in realistic battlefield conditions. The exercise spanned a wide geographical area, from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to the Saurashtra coast in Gujarat and extended into the northern Arabian Sea.

The exercise was designed to validate India's ability to conduct multi-domain operations, emphasizing seamless integration and coordination between the three services. It focused on enhancing jointness, validating theatre logistics, and reinforcing multi-domain combat readiness. The exercise also incorporated network-centric warfare, amphibious landings, desert and creek maneuvers, and integration of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and electronic warfare (EW) capabilities.

Several key elements highlighted the scope and objectives of Exercise Trishul:

• Amphibious Operations: A significant part of the exercise involved joint amphibious landing along the Saurashtra coast, demonstrating India's capability to project power from land to sea. The Indian Army launched its first Infantry Platoon with a Tank using a Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM) from INS Kalasha, showcasing the ability to move combat units from sea to land with speed and precision.
• Air Power: The Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted Exercise MahaGujRaj-25, covering key sectors of Rajasthan and Gujarat, validating its ability to operate across the entire spectrum of air operations. IAF fighters also undertook operations from Hirasar International Airport in Rajkot, demonstrating civil-military coordination.
• Desert Warfare: The Indian Army's Southern Command and the IAF executed Exercise Maru Jwala in the Thar Desert, simulating deep-strike operations under desert warfare conditions. The drill featured airborne insertions, mechanised maneuvers, and live-fire missions, integrating indigenously developed drones, counter-drone systems, and electronic warfare capabilities.
• Technology and Atmanirbharta: Exercise Trishul served as a validation of indigenous defence systems, including locally developed drones, EW platforms, and AI-enabled decision support tools. The exercise emphasized Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) and multi-domain integration, which are key pillars of India's evolving theatre command structure.
• Jointness and Interoperability: Special Forces units from the Army's Parachute Regiment, the Navy's MARCOS, and the Air Force's Garuds carried out joint reconnaissance and direct-action missions, testing interoperability and precision coordination.

Exercise Trishul also served as a platform to evaluate next-generation indigenous technologies under realistic battlefield conditions. The employment of indigenous drones, unmanned systems, counter-drone systems, and electronic warfare grids underscored India's growing technological edge, in line with the national vision of self-reliance in defence.

The timing and scale of Exercise Trishul carry strategic weight, particularly amid heightened border vigilance and reports of increased military activity across the western front. While officially described as a routine operational readiness exercise, it served as a clear demonstration of India's deterrence posture and joint preparedness to respond across multiple domains. A senior defence official noted that the exercise proved India's capacity to conduct simultaneous air, land, and sea operations under a unified command structure. The lessons learned from Exercise Trishul will directly inform the development of Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs), which are in the final stages of policy formulation.