Garuda Shakti live firing drills have put Indian and Indonesian Special Forces through combat marksmanship, transition firing and sniper firing at Banyuwangi in Indonesia, as the joint exercise between the two countries continues.

The firing was conducted with an emphasis on precision, speed and accuracy under simulated combat conditions, according to the Indian Army.

All three were shot with live ammunition.

Garuda Shakti live firing covered three disciplines

Combat marksmanship is shooting under the conditions of a fight rather than a range. Soldiers engage targets fast, often on the move and against the clock.

Transition firing trains a soldier to switch weapons in the middle of an engagement. If a rifle stoppage or an empty magazine comes at close quarters, the shooter moves to a secondary weapon, typically a pistol, and keeps firing without losing the target.

Sniper firing is the long-range end of the work, with trained marksmen taking deliberate shots at distance.

Drills aimed to build combat readiness and interoperability

The Army said the Garuda Shakti live firing drills aimed to enhance combat proficiency and operational readiness. They were also meant to improve interoperability between the Special Forces of both nations.

Exercise runs at Banyuwangi until November 6

Exercise Garuda Shakti 2026, the 11th India-Indonesia Joint Special Forces Exercise, opened at Banyuwangi on October 27. It runs until November 6.

Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) troops make up the Indian side. The training is built around special operations in jungle terrain, as set out at the start of Exercise Garuda Shakti 2026. According to the Ministry of Defence, it ends with a validation exercise in real operational scenarios.

Sniping also figured in the 2025 edition at Bakloh

India hosted the 10th edition at the Special Forces Training School in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, from December 3 to 12, 2025. Combat shooting and sniping were on that programme too, along with counter-terrorism drills, unarmed combat and heliborne operations.

A 25-member Indian contingent trained at Cijantung, near Jakarta, for the ninth edition from November 1 to 12, 2024.

Indian troops have spent this month on similar ground elsewhere. Garhwal Rifles soldiers trained in jungle, island and coastal settings with Australian troops at AUSTRAHIND 2026 in Kerala.

Garuda Shakti runs alongside naval engagements with Indonesia

Garuda Shakti is the Army's part of a regular calendar of military engagements with Indonesia. The Ministry of External Affairs lists the naval exercise Samudra Shakti and the India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol, known as IND-INDO CORPAT, alongside it, a calendar IDW set out in its report on India-Indonesia defence ties.

Indian Coast Guard Ship Shaunak called at Jakarta on a goodwill visit from October 17 to 19.