18th India–Mongolia joint military exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT begins at Pithoragarh
On 21 September 2026, the 18th edition of the India–Mongolia joint military exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT began at the Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, and will run until 3 October 2026.
Summary
Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT is an annual platoon-level exercise held alternately in India and Mongolia, and the previous edition was at Ulaanbaatar in May–June 2025. The Indian Army and the Mongolian Armed Forces are each represented by 45 personnel. The exercise focuses on counter-insurgency operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate, with drills including cordon and search, room intervention, special heliborne operations, cyber security, and drones and counter-drone systems.
Key facts
- Exercise
- NOMADIC ELEPHANT, 18th edition — India and Mongolia
- Venue / dates
- Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand; 21 Sep–3 Oct 2026
- Strength
- 45 personnel from each side; annual platoon-level exercise
- Previous edition
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, May–June 2025
- Focus
- Counter-insurgency in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under UN mandate
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT is a joint military exercise between India and which country?
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Correct answer: B — Mongolia
NOMADIC ELEPHANT is an annual India–Mongolia platoon-level exercise; the 18th edition began at Pithoragarh on 21 September 2026.
Where is the 18th edition of Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT being held?
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Correct answer: D — Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
The 18th edition is being held at the Foreign Training Node, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand; the previous edition was at Ulaanbaatar in 2025.
Consider the following about Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT 2026: 1. The exercise focuses on counter-insurgency operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a UN mandate. 2. Each side is represented by a battalion of about 800 personnel. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: it is a platoon-level exercise with 45 personnel from each side.