The Indian Army deploys its military dog ​​K9 Zac in the Mitra Shakti exercise. | Image credit: X@PTI_News

The armies of India and Sri Lanka used dogs – known in military jargon as “K9s” – in the bilateral exercise. Mitra Shakti The Indian Army has deployed Zac, a Belgian Malinois, while Sri Lanka has deployed two dogs. The 10th edition of the exercise Mitra Shakti will take place from 12 to 25 August at the Army Training School in Maduru Oya, Sri Lanka.

“Two-and-a-half-year-old Zac is trained in special tactical operations such as cordon and search, search and destroy, fighting in built-up areas, jungle search and area remediation,” an Army official said. He has also been trained in special skills such as laser-guided attack and weapon retrieval, which greatly enhances the “K9 capabilities” of our forces, the official explained.

Zac, an ‘assault dog’, was trained at the canine training school at the Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College in Meerut. “He is a force multiplier and first responder in most tactical operations,” said Major Rishi Sharma, the commander of the K9 detachment.

During the joint exercise, Zac will participate in a range of activities including house searches, jungle searches, laser-guided attacks, disinfection of areas and other aspects of counterinsurgency operations. In one of the scenarios during the exercise, Zac intercepted an attacker attempting to flee from a roadblock.

Army dogs are regularly deployed in urban areas for tasks such as vehicle inspection, search and attack operations, and explosive detection dogs. These K9s are also trained in radio-controlled directional control techniques. Another official explained that the attack dogs are equipped with a tactical camera on their heads that allows real-time video surveillance, allowing them to launch stealth attacks.

The Indian contingent, consisting of 106 personnel, is represented by a battalion of the Rajputana Rifles and members of other arms and services. The Sri Lankan contingent is represented by members of the Gajaba Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army.

“The aim of the exercise is to strengthen the joint military capabilities of both sides to conduct counterinsurgency operations in a sub-conventional scenario under Chapter VII of the UN mandate,” the army said in a statement at the start of the exercise. “The exercise will focus on operations in semi-urban environments.”

Tactical drills that will be rehearsed during the exercise include responding to a terrorist attack, setting up a joint command post, establishing an intelligence and surveillance center, securing a helipad, flying in and out of small teams, special helicopter operations, cordon and search operations and the use of drones and anti-drone systems, the army said.

“The Mitra Shakti exercise will enable both sides to exchange best practices tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting joint operations. It will facilitate the development of interoperability, friendliness and camaraderie between the two armies,” it added.