- A P8I aircraft of the Indian Navy arrived at Guam, USA on 14 Mar 23 to participate in ‘Exercise Sea Dragon 23’.
- This exercise is an annual, multi-national high-end anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training exercise of the navies of participant countries.
- It is hosted by the USA.
Participants:
- USA
- India
- Japan
- Canada
- Republic of Korea
Aim:
The Exercise aims to achieve high levels of synergy and coordination between the friendly navies, which is based on their shared values and commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Zoji La Pass and Razdan Pass
Border Roads Organisation opens strategic Zoji La Pass and Razdan Pass.
Zoji La Pass:
- Zoji La is a high mountain pass at an elevation of located on the boundary of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the Kargil district.
- NH1 (National Highway 1) between Srinagar and Leh traverses the pass.
- An all-weather Zoji-la Tunnel is under construction which will provide all weather connectivity to Ladakh.
Razdan pass:
- Razdan Pass is located in the Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir in the Bandipora district.
- It connects the Gurez Valley in the north to the Kashmir Valley in the south.
- and is located in the Bandipora district.
- The pass is the only route connecting Gurez with the rest of the world.
- The Harmukh mountain, the highest peak in the surrounding area.
The Border Roads Organisation
· The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force that is a part of the Indian Armed Forces. · BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighboring countries. · The organisation’s operations are spread across India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. · This includes infrastructure operations in 19 states and three union territories (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands). · The BRO was formed in 1960 to secure India’s borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states. The BRO consists of: · Border Roads Wing under the Ministry of Defense and · The General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF). · Officers are selected through the Indian Engineering Services (IES) Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). · Few officers are also deputed from Indian Army Corps of Engineers. · They are subjected to all provisions of the Army Act, 1950 and Army Rules, 1954 except a few exceptions. |