Exercise Trishul: When October ended, satellite watchers around the world noticed something unusual over western India. In the skies above Gujarat and Rajasthan and deep inside the Arabian Sea, India’s armed forces began a war exercise unlike any in recent memory. Tanks rumbled through the Thar Desert, warships cut through monsoon-grey waves and fighter jets streaked across the horizon. This is Exercise Trishul, a massive tri-services drill involving the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
At first, the scale was difficult to grasp. More than 50,000 troops have been mobilised. Fighter squadrons from the South Western Air Command joined naval formations from the Western Naval Command, while Army units under the Southern Command began coordinated maneuvers across Gujarat and Rajasthan. For the first time since Operation Sindoor, India’s three forces are training together in a fully “multi-domain integrated environment”.
The Ministry of Defence described the aim as a way to “validate joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Electronic Warfare (EW) and Cyber Warfare operations”. But defence watchers say this exercise carries a message that goes far beyond practice.
The Sir Creek Focus
A senior official confirmed that the Sir Creek region, the narrow and disputed tidal estuary dividing India’s Rann of Kutch and Pakistan’s Sindh province, was one of the key focal points. Just days earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had issued a warning from Bhuj Air Base, “If Pakistan dares to act in the Sir Creek sector, the response will be so strong it will change both history and geography.”
Exercise TRISHUL – Tri-Services Synergy Enabling Integrated Operations
“त्रिशूलं समन्वयस्य बलम्।”
Trishul signifies the Strength in UnityThe gallant troops of the Indian Armed Forces are conducting #ExTRISHUL, a major Tri-Services operational validation in the Western sector.… pic.twitter.com/0raXyBIYAC
— HQ IDS (@HQ_IDS_India) November 1, 2025
Those words now appear to have found physical expression in the field. Armoured units have moved through marshy zones mimicking real combat conditions, testing India’s ability to fight in the most complex terrain. Amphibious units have been operating from landing craft and warships, simulating a full-spectrum strike capability across desert, creek and sea.
According to naval sources, INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, is leading the maritime element. Along with it, INS Jalashwa, submarines, landing craft utility vessels and nearly 25 naval ships are taking part. The exercise also includes over 40 IAF combat jets, including Rafales, Sukhoi-30MKIs and Jaguar strike aircraft.
The Scale Of The Exercise
The operation extends across nearly 1,000 nautical miles of the Arabian Sea and into the deserts of Rajasthan. To accommodate it, the Indian government issued multiple NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen), temporarily closing sections of airspace over the western border and the sea until November 11.
The live drills are testing networked operations between sea, air and land assets. A spokesperson for the Indian Navy said the goal is to refine operational procedures and enhance “synergy between all forces”. The focus, he added, is on tactics tailored to address “emerging threats and the evolving nature of future warfare”.
For the Air Force, the emphasis is on ISR fusion and rapid targetting. Fighter jets have been flying at altitudes of up to 28,000 feet, a combat range specifically used for strike coordination. Navy surveillance systems and Army sensors are linked to the same digital grid, allowing any detection on one front to trigger instant responses on another.
In modern military terms, this is known as a sensor-to-shooter loop, and India is perfecting it faster than ever before.
Inside The War Games
The integrated exercise includes several classified sub-modules, codenamed Agni Drishti and Trinetra, according to open-source military analysts.
Agni Drishti focuses on precision targetting through real-time data integration, connecting naval radar, satellite surveillance and land-based missile batteries through a single command network. Trinetra, meanwhile, tests India’s ability to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum and counter drone threats.
These sub-exercises simulate both offensive and defensive spectrum warfare. From drone jamming to cyber-attack simulations, India’s defence forces are experimenting with the kind of invisible warfare that defines 21st-century conflict.
Jointness Becomes Reality
Trishul’s biggest achievement, officers say, lies in integration. For decades, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force operated as separate entities. This time, they are acting as one. The idea is built around the Ministry of Defence’s JAI Doctrine (Jointness, Atmanirbharta, Innovation).
The “jointness” part is now visible on the ground. Navy sensors feeding live data to the Air Force. Air surveillance guiding Army artillery. All coordinated through a unified command centre with real-time decision loops.
“Atmanirbharta” (self-reliance) is another visible layer. From Akash air defence missiles and Prahand attack helicopters to Arjun main battle tanks and indigenous cyber systems, nearly every system used in the exercise has Indian DNA. Even the BrahMos cruise missile, co-developed with Russia, is now fully produced in India.
The final pillar, which is innovation, comes from how these systems communicate. Artificial intelligence-assisted targeting, encrypted communication and satellite-based ISR from India’s Cartosat and RISAT networks are giving the armed forces a digital edge.
As the defence minister put it recently, “Future wars will be determined as much by data and logistics as by firepower.” Trishul is putting that vision into practice.
Pakistan Watches, China Takes Notes
The timing of Exercise Trishul could not have been more deliberate. Already stretched by its western border conflict with the Taliban, Pakistan’s military was forced to place its Bahawalpur Strike Corps and Karachi Corps on active alert. Airspace restrictions were imposed over Karachi and Lahore.
China, too, is believed to be tracking the drills via satellite. Intelligence officials say Beijing is closely monitoring India’s joint operations capability and its emphasis on sustained readiness.
These developments come months after Operation Sindoor, when India demonstrated precision-strike capability deep inside hostile territory. Trishul now expands that posture, proving India can operate on multiple fronts simultaneously.
Why It Matters
The underlying message of the Exercise Trishul is that India is no longer rehearsing for defence. It is preparing for continuous and multi-front readiness.
This is not a symbolic show of strength. It is a transition from deterrence to dominanc and from reactive posture to proactive control. The drills may end in November, but the capability they reveal will shape India’s strategic landscape for years.
Inside military headquarters in New Delhi, officers are already describing this as the “new normal”. And in Islamabad and Beijing, satellite images are confirming that India’s forces can now fight and win across every domain, all at once.
Because what began as a military exercise has become a statement of power.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
