New Delhi: India and Mongolia reviewed ongoing defence cooperation and explored closer engagement in military training, cybersecurity and capacity building at the 14th joint working group meeting in Ulaanbaatar on Friday. The discussions assessed existing initiatives and identified areas for further collaboration under their strategic partnership.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Ministry of Defence’s joint secretary, Dr Ishita Ganguli Tripathy, and Mongolia’s deputy state secretary of defence, Brigadier general Gansukh E Both delegations also exchanged views on regional and international developments, although the ministry did not disclose their positions on specific issues.
The talks came less than two weeks after the conclusion of Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2026, which both sides welcomed as an important part of their defence relationship. Mongolia acknowledged India’s continued support for training and capacity building among personnel of the Mongolian armed forces.
The 18th edition of the annual military exercise brought together 45 soldiers from each country at the foreign training node in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, from September 21 to October 3. Held alternately in India and Mongolia, the exercise focuses on counterinsurgency operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate.
The announced training curriculum covered cordon-and-search operations, room-intervention drills, special heliborne operations, cybersecurity and the use of drones and counterdrone systems. As RNA Media reported earlier, the contingents also undertook small-arms training and close-quarters combat drills, combining infantry skills with emerging battlefield technologies.
Indian-assisted cybersecurity centre reviewed
Beyond field exercises, the Indian delegation visited Mongolia’s national defence university to review the cyber security training centre established with Indian assistance. The centre was inaugurated by the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, on September 6, 2022.
India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) supplied digital infrastructure and cyber-forensics tools for the facility. According to the organization, it has also trained Mongolian defence personnel through six-month postgraduate diploma courses covering subjects including network security, cybercrime investigation and mobile forensics.
The Mongolian delegation appreciated India’s continued assistance in cybersecurity and language training, which the defence ministry identified as areas supporting professional development and knowledge-sharing.
Tripathy also met the deputy chief of the general staff of the Mongolian armed forces, Major General Usukhbayar J. The officials reviewed progress in military cooperation and discussed ways to sustain engagement between the two forces.
India and Mongolia established diplomatic relations in 1955 and elevated their ties to a strategic partnership in 2015 during the prime minister, Narendra Modi’s visit to Mongolia. Their historical, cultural and civilizational bonds, including shared faith and cultural heritage, continue to provide a foundation for closer bilateral engagement.
The talks reaffirmed their commitment to practical defence cooperation and sustained institutional dialogue. The official release did not announce a new defence agreement or arms procurement.