Exercise Trishul 2025: India's Strategic Power Display on the Western Front

India kicked off Exercise Trishul 2025 on November 3, 2025, bringing together over 50,000 troops, 25 warships, and more than 40 combat aircraft across Gujarat and Rajasthan. Running through November 13, this represents the biggest tri-service military drill since Operation Sindoor six months ago. The message is clear—India's done tolerating provocations along its western frontier.​

Why Sir Creek Matters Now

The exercise focuses heavily on Sir Creek, a 96-kilometer tidal estuary in the Rann of Kutch that flows into the Arabian Sea. This strategic waterway is crucial for maritime access, fishing resources, and potential oil and gas reserves on the surrounding continental shelf.​

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently issued strong warnings about protecting India's territorial integrity in Sir Creek, saying any aggressive moves would trigger a firm and decisive response. The timing and scale of Exercise Trishul backs up those words with real military muscle.​

India's claim to Sir Creek rests on the Thalweg Principle of international law, which says boundaries along waterways should follow the center of the navigable channel. This interpretation is supported by a 1925 map and mid-channel boundary pillars built in 1924. India points out that Sir Creek is navigable during high tides, with fishing boats regularly using the channel to reach the Arabian Sea.​

The 1968 UN tribunal resolution on the larger Rann of Kutch gave India about 90% of that contested area, though Sir Creek itself wasn't part of that specific arbitration. Security analysts note that recent construction activity on the western side of the creek has pushed India to beef up its military presence and readiness through exercises like Trishul.​

Learning from May 2025

Revised Section (Natural, Human Tone)

Exercise Trishul came directly from lessons learned in Operation Sindoor this past May—India's response to Pakistani terror attacks. Here's what actually happened: On April 22, a Pakistani terrorist group killed 26 innocent tourists in cold blood during an attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. The terrorists claimed responsibility twice within hours. Pakistan refused to acknowledge the attacks or shut down these terror networks, so India had no choice but to act. On May 7, India struck nine terrorist training camps across Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir—targeting the infrastructure these groups used to plan attacks.

Pakistan didn't accept this. Early on May 8, Pakistan launched its own strikes using Chinese-supplied missiles and Turkish drones, trying to hit over a dozen Indian military bases. But India's air defence systems intercepted everything—the missiles fell before reaching their targets. Meanwhile, Indian jets hit Pakistani air bases, including  Nur Khan air base near Pakistan's nuclear command center. Four days of intense fighting followed—the biggest aerial battle between the two countries since 1971, with 125+ fighter jets in the air. By May 10, the Pakistan requested a ceasefire. India had won decisively. Pakistan's weapons failed. India's defences worked perfectly.

Assessments after the conflict showed India achieved "complete military dominance" during Operation Sindoor, with advanced air defences shooting down multiple Pakistani jets and early warning aircraft. The engagement involved at least 125 fighter jets from both sides—the biggest aerial confrontation in decades between fourth-generation fighters.​

The conflict also saw the first combat use of drones between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Indian strikes hit the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, located near command centers overseeing Pakistan's nuclear arsenal—showing how close things came to spiralling out of control.​

The JAI Approach in Action

Exercise Trishul embodies India's JAI philosophy—Jointness, Atmanirbharta (self-reliance), and Innovation. This integrated approach reflects major changes in military doctrine after May's conflict.​

Jointness means all three services working seamlessly together. The Navy leads coastal defence and amphibious operations along the Saurashtra coast and Sir Creek area. The Army commands desert warfare and tank maneuvers across Kutch's tough terrain. The Air Force runs air superiority and long-range precision strikes. Everything's synchronized, eliminating the old service-by-service silos that used to limit India's options.​

Atmanirbharta shows up in the homegrown hardware—BrahMos supersonic missiles, Akash air defence systems, Prachand attack helicopters, and advanced electronic warfare gear. Operation Sindoor proved how important self-reliance is; India used weapons from France, Israel, and Russia alongside indigenous systems, while observers noted Pakistan's dependence on Chinese and Turkish arms. Cutting reliance on foreign suppliers has become a top priority.​

Innovation comes through in the cutting-edge tech—Sea Guardian and Heron surveillance drones, space-based intelligence, cyber warfare capabilities, and electronic warfare systems that make this a truly modern battlefield.​

The Hardware on Display

Exercise Trishul involves massive deployments across all three services.​

The Army rolled out T-90 and Arjun battle tanks, heavy artillery including howitzers, BrahMos and Akash missile batteries, and Prachand attack helicopters across the Thar Desert and Kutch marshlands.​

The Air Force is running high-intensity operations with Rafale and Su-30MKI fighters showing air dominance, IL-78 tankers extending range, AWACS providing real-time battlefield awareness, and armed drones offering constant surveillance and strike capability. They've restricted civilian airspace up to 28,000 feet across Rajasthan and Gujarat—that's how intense the air operations are.​

The Navy positioned 25 warships—Kolkata-class destroyers, Nilgiri-class frigates, and fast-attack craft—along the western coast and Arabian Sea, practicing amphibious landings in Sir Creek's difficult marshy terrain, naval gunfire support, and integrated operations.​

Elite forces from all three services—Army Para (SF), Navy MARCOS, and Air Force Garud commandos—are running complex missions that show growing expertise in joint special operations, particularly in the challenging amphibious environment that Sir Creek presents.​

More Than Just Training

Officials call Trishul a "routine" exercise, but the timing and scale tell a different story. The drill proves India can quickly mobilize overwhelming combat power across multiple fronts at once.​

Security analysts point out the exercise demonstrates capabilities developed and refined during May's conflict—integrated strike packages, advanced air defence systems, long-range precision weapons, and joint command structures that enable coordinated operations across huge distances.​

Pakistan's reaction has been telling. Islamabad issued multiple NOTAMs restricting large chunks of its airspace for up to 48 hours, closing central and southern air routes repeatedly. A second NOTAM on November 1—valid through November 30—restricts southern and coastal airspace. Pakistan also announced parallel naval drills in the Arabian Sea where Indian warships are operating.​

These reactive moves suggest real concern about what India just demonstrated. The imbalance revealed during Operation Sindoor—where India established what analysts call "complete military dominance"—seems to be shaping both countries' strategic thinking.​

Sir Creek's Growing Importance

Exercise Trishul shows that Sir Creek has joined Kashmir, Siachen, and the Line of Control as a critical piece of India's western border security. India's position that Sir Creek is part of its territorial waters and that the maritime boundary follows the navigable mid-channel is backed by the 1925 map and the Thalweg Principle of international maritime law.​

The region's importance goes beyond military concerns. Control over Sir Creek directly affects the boundaries of Exclusive Economic Zones stretching up to 200 nautical miles into the Arabian Sea, potentially giving access to vast untapped oil, gas, fisheries, and minerals. Different boundary interpretations could affect over 2,200 square kilometres of EEZ—making this way more than symbolic.​

The creek also provides crucial maritime access. For India, it's a vital gateway to naval infrastructure along the Kutch coast and enables rapid-response capabilities in the northern Arabian Sea. The marshy, shifting terrain makes it tough but strategically critical for patrolling and amphibious operations that Exercise Trishul is specifically designed to test.​

Reports of Pakistani military construction near Sir Creek prompted India's increased focus on this area. Security experts note worrying parallels to Pakistan's 1965 tactics, when diversionary strikes in southern sectors masked military actions elsewhere. Exercise Trishul shows India has reinforced this entire frontier, closing off options for surprise moves or one-sided changes to the situation on the ground.​

Building Tomorrow's Capabilities Today

Beyond immediate readiness, Exercise Trishul validates India's progress toward creating a military that can win in integrated, multi-domain environments. The smooth integration of cyber operations, space-based intelligence, electronic warfare, and unmanned systems alongside traditional platforms represents a major operational leap forward.​

Operation Sindoor revealed both strengths and weaknesses. While India established air superiority and destroyed key Pakistani installations, officials later acknowledged "initial losses" that weren't immediately disclosed. Vice Chief of IAF Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari noted that punitive action needed to be "visual and visible," and that ending conflicts requires "clearly defined objectives". Exercise Trishul incorporates those lessons.​

The drill also tests logistics at scale—making sure forces can sustain high-intensity operations across brutal terrain from the Arabian Sea coast through the Rann of Kutch to the Thar Desert. This operational depth creates multiple headaches for any adversary thinking about aggressive moves.​

Regional Security Picture

Exercise Trishul unfolds against a complicated regional backdrop. The May 2025 conflict raised serious questions about how crises between two nuclear-armed neighbours can spiral. Analysts noted that "guardrails" which once kept India-Pakistan crises from turning into full-scale war have gotten significantly weaker.​

India's revised military doctrine announced before May's conflict includes no geographic limits on retaliatory strikes, rejection of what it calls "nuclear blackmail," and suspension of diplomatic talks until terrorism concerns are addressed. This marks a fundamental shift from earlier approaches that emphasized strategic restraint.​

China's role also factors into India's strategic calculations. Military officials noted after Operation Sindoor that while Pakistan was the immediate adversary, it enjoyed backing from China and Turkey. Exercise Trishul's emphasis on indigenous capabilities and self-reliance reflects awareness that future conflicts may involve proxy support from other major powers.​

What's Next

Exercise Trishul 2025 locks in India's commitment to maintaining high readiness along the western front. The capabilities demonstrated over these ten days will be refined and practiced regularly, making sure deterrence stays credible and response options stay diverse.​

For Pakistan, the exercise sends clear signals about the military imbalance established during May's conflict. Post-damage assessments using high-resolution imagery confirmed India's operational success during Operation Sindoor. Exercise Trishul shows those capabilities weren't temporary—they're permanent additions to India's military toolkit.​

The focus on Sir Creek also signals that India views all territories along the western border—where it maintains historical, legal, and cartographic claims—as equally important to national security. Construction or gradual encroachment in any sector will likely trigger responses calibrated to show resolve without necessarily escalating to armed conflict—but with that option staying available if needed.​

Exercise Trishul represents India's confidence in capabilities built through Operation Sindoor's hard lessons. The country is showing it has the doctrine, hardware, and operational expertise to defend territorial integrity across multiple domains at once, using largely homegrown platforms developed through national self-reliance efforts. Whether this approach strengthens regional stability or increases risks of escalation remains the most important unanswered question facing South Asian security.

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