Young military officers from India have completed a two-week tour of Australia alongside representatives from the ADF.
The Australian iteration of the General Rawat India-Australia Young Officers Exchange Program aims to expose participants to the operational environments, training philosophies and capabilities within an integrated environment.
Travelling from HMAS Cerberus in southern Victoria, through to Sydney’s Victoria Barracks, the reciprocal visit was many of the Indian officers’ first to Australia.
Major Nathaniel Parry was one of the Australian Army officers who visited India in the inaugural program last year, and enjoyed being able to reconnect with the Indian officers to learn more about their strategies during this year’s return visit.
“It was really rewarding to have some of the people that I met in India come to Australia for the first time, sharing ideas and learning about each other,” Major Parry said.
“We are quite similar in the way we operate, and it was great to share perspectives and continue to develop our relationships.”
Learning about Indian officers’ experiences was a highlight for many of the ADF officers participating in the program, including Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Madison Cotton.
“There are many similarities that we share with India in terms of strategic challenges, but it was also interesting to hear about the different issues that they face, such as challenging working environments due to their varied climates,” Lieutenant Cotton said.
Lieutenant Cotton was also grateful for the opportunity to connect with the Indian officers on a personal and cultural level throughout their travels together.
“It was fun to share their first experiences in Australia, learn about the different ways countries do things, and for them to experience typical Australian things for the first time,” she said.
Having grown up in India, participating in the program felt close to home for Royal Australian Air Force Flying Officer Arunima Vij and she was able to connect with the Indian officers and share stories and experiences.
Flying Officer Vij said the program widened her knowledge of the broader ADF and understanding its processes.
“For me, being in the Air Force, speaking with both Army and Navy, really helped me to gain greater strategic awareness. As we all know, we are not going to be working in silos of excellence anymore, it is going to be joint,” Flying Officer Vij said.
“A lot of people got together and spoke about what their structure looks like, their hierarchy system and policies, what they have in their squadrons. It was definitely a good view to bring them together.
“The exchange program provided me the opportunity to formulate bonds with the Indian Armed Forces, and it broadened my horizons by better understanding India’s strategic perspective in such a complex global strategic environment.”
