IAF'S JOINT AIR DEFENCE EXERCISE WITH JAPAN
The bilateral air exercise "Veer Guardian 2026" between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) concluded at Air Force Station Jodhpur on 22 September 2026
The exercise, held over about two weeks, involved the IAF's Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, Su-30 MKI, and Rafale fighters, with the JASDF fielding its F-2A fighters
It served as a platform to enhance interoperability and strengthen the strategic partnership between the two air forces
Senior air force leadership from both countries visited Jodhpur during the exercise, underlining its significance for the bilateral defence relationship
India-Japan Defence Exercise Architecture
India and Japan conduct a structured set of bilateral military exercises across all three services: Veer Guardian (Air Force), Dharma Guardian (Army), and JIMEX (Navy). These exercises are the operational expression of a broader "Special Strategic and Global Partnership," and their scope has expanded in step with growing formal defence-cooperation mechanisms between the two countries.
Key Details
- Veer Guardian: first edition in January 2023 at Hyakuri Air Base, Japan — India's first-ever bilateral fighter exercise with the JASDF; the 2026 edition marks its hosting in India at Jodhpur
- Dharma Guardian: joint army exercise, focused on counter-terrorism and jungle/urban warfare training, held periodically in India and Japan since 2018
- JIMEX (Japan-India Maritime Exercise): the oldest of the three, running since 2012, conducted by the two navies
- The decision to institute Veer Guardian was taken at the 2nd India-Japan "2+2" Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue held in Tokyo in September 2022
Veer Guardian 2026 is the latest edition of this air-domain exercise, and its hosting on Indian soil (Jodhpur) reflects the deepening and broadening of the bilateral defence engagement first formalised through the 2+2 mechanism.
The India-Japan "2+2" Ministerial Dialogue
The 2+2 Dialogue is a format in which the Foreign and Defence Ministers of two countries meet jointly to coordinate strategic and security policy. India holds 2+2 dialogues with a small set of key partners, of which Japan is one, alongside the United States, Australia, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
Key Details
- India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue was institutionalised in 2019, with the first ministerial-level meeting held that year
- It sits above service-specific engagements and provides the political-strategic direction for exercises such as Veer Guardian, Dharma Guardian, and JIMEX
- India's first-ever 2+2 dialogue with any country was with the United States, established in 2018
- India and Japan also maintain an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), signed in 2020, enabling reciprocal provision of supplies and services between their armed forces
Veer Guardian traces its institutional origin to a decision taken at the India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue, illustrating how ministerial-level strategic dialogues translate into concrete tri-service military cooperation.
Quad and the Indo-Pacific Strategic Context
India and Japan are both members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), alongside the United States and Australia, an informal strategic forum focused on a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Bilateral exercises such as Veer Guardian complement this wider multilateral engagement by building direct interoperability between the two air forces.
Key Details
- Quad originated in 2007, was revived in 2017, and has since held annual Leaders' Summits
- India and Japan additionally cooperate through the Malabar naval exercise, which also includes the US and Australia
- Japan's participation in Veer Guardian, flying fighter aircraft to India, has been described by Indian officials as a milestone in the bilateral defence partnership
- India's defence exercises with Quad partners (Malabar with the US/Japan/Australia; Veer Guardian with Japan alone) illustrate the mix of minilateral and bilateral tracks in India's Indo-Pacific engagement
Veer Guardian 2026 is a bilateral thread within the larger fabric of India-Japan and Quad-related security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, distinct from but complementary to multilateral exercises like Malabar.
- Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 concluded: 22 September 2026, at Air Force Station Jodhpur
- IAF assets deployed: Tejas (LCA), Su-30 MKI, Rafale
- JASDF assets deployed: F-2A fighters
- First Veer Guardian edition: January 2023, Hyakuri Air Base, Japan
- Institutional origin: 2nd India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Tokyo, September 2022
- Sister exercises: Dharma Guardian (Army, since 2018), JIMEX (Navy, since 2012)
- India-Japan ACSA (logistics-sharing agreement): signed 2020