India and Malaysia to Conduct Harimau Shakti 2026 from November 18

India and Malaysia will hold a joint military exercise titled ‘Harimau Shakti’, between November 18-30 2026. The exercise aims to increase defence cooperation, interoperability and coordination between the two nations’ armies. The exercise will see the nations keep up their military engagement, focusing on jungle and counter-insurgency exercises with tactical cooperation.

Key facts about the Harimau Shakti 2026 exercise

Exercise Title: Harimau Shakti 2026
Countries Involved: India and Malaysia
Forces Involved: Indian Army and Malaysian Army
Dates: November 18-30 2026
Aims: Increase interoperability, military cooperation and understanding.
Type of Exercise: Joint Bilateral Exercise.

The Indian Army announced the exercise on November 14.

Previous Exercise – Harimau Shakti 2025

The fifth edition of the exercise took place between December 5-18 2025 at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.

The Indian contingent was largely made up of Dogra Regiment troops.

The Malaysian contingent were made up of troops from the 25th Battalion Royal Malaysian Army.

The exercise centred around practicing sub-conventional operations under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

Training included counter-terrorist operations, cordon searches, helicopter operations, casualty extraction and Army Martial Arts Routine (AMAR).

It should be noted that the exercise was held in the desert terrain of Rajasthan in 2025, whereas previous editions have focused on jungle terrain.

Defence Cooperation Between India and Malaysia

India and Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding Defence Cooperation in 1993. This was amended via an Exchange of Letters in July 2023 to increase cooperation between the nations’ armed forces.

The nations work together with training exercises, personnel exchanges and joint exercises. Harimau Shakti is one of the ways that army relations are increased.

The exercise was first held in Kuala Lumpur in October 2012. In 2022, the Indian Ministry of Defence stated the exercise is an annual training exercise.