In News:

• The third edition of the India-Egypt Joint Special Forces Exercise CYCLONE is being conducted from February 10–23, 2025 at the Mahajan Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.
• The previous edition (2nd) was held in Egypt in January 2024, and the first edition was conducted in India in 2023.

About Exercise CYCLONE

• It is a bilateral joint special forces military exercise between India and Egypt.
• Annual exercise, held alternatively in India and Egypt.
• The 2025 edition is focused on:
  • Counter-terrorism operations
  • High-intensity combat training
  • Survival techniques in desert/semi-desert terrain
  • Tactical drills and real-world combat scenarios
• Motto of the exercise: “Together we train, together we excel.”

Objectives

• Enhance military-to-military cooperation.
• Strengthen interoperability and joint operational capabilities.
• Exchange of special warfare tactics and combat strategies.
• Operate under frameworks aligned with Chapter VII of the UN Charter (pertaining to threats to peace, breaches of peace, and acts of aggression).

Strategic Importance

• The exercise reflects deepening India-Egypt defence cooperation.
• Aimed at enhancing readiness for evolving security challenges in the region.
• Enables both forces to operate together in simulated combat situations, improving coordination and adaptability.

India-Egypt Relations: Defence and Beyond

• Strategic Partnership established in 2023, covering:
  • Political, defence, security, energy, and economic cooperation.
• Bilateral Trade Agreement (1978): Based on Most Favored Nation (MFN) clause.
• India is one of Egypt’s key trading partners in Africa.