MC EXPLAINER What is Poorvi Prachand Prahar? India’s next big tri-service drill and what it means for China border tensions

India will conduct Poorvi Prachand Prahar, a major tri-service military drill in Arunachal Pradesh from Nov 11–15, testing joint readiness near the China border.

When India launched Exercise Trishul on its western borders last week, it sent a clear signal of readiness across the Arabian Sea. Now, the Indian Armed Forces are turning their attention eastward, to the high mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, where a new tri-service exercise named ‘Poorvi Prachand Prahar’ will kick off from November 11 to 15.

The drill will test India’s integrated combat preparedness in one of the world’s most sensitive military zones, a region that shares a contested boundary with China.

The five-day tri-service exercise will take place in Mechuka, Arunachal Pradesh, a forward area near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

According to top defence officials cited by CNN-News18, the exercise aims to validate India’s 'theatre command' concept, a long-term plan to integrate the Army, Navy, and Air Force into unified combat structures.

“The highlight of the exercise will be the coordinated employment of special forces, unmanned platforms, precision systems, and networked operations centres operating in unison under realistic high-altitude conditions,” said Defence PRO Lt Col Mahendra Rawat in a statement to CNN-News18.

In essence, Poorvi Prachand Prahar is designed to simulate full-spectrum warfare, combining land, air, and maritime elements in a high-altitude setting that mirrors real-world challenges along India’s border with China.

This is not a standalone drill. It follows a sequence of joint exercises like ‘Bhala Prahar’ (2023) and ‘Poorvi Prahar’ (2024), each advancing India’s journey toward a fully integrated tri-service command structure.

The latest edition focuses on:

• Multi-domain integration, synchronising land, air, and sea-based operations.
• Tech-driven combat, including drone warfare, AI-enabled surveillance, and satellite-linked communication systems.
• Tactical agility, revising and testing new tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for faster mobilisation in rugged terrain.
• Defence analysts see it as a clear eastern counterpart to Exercise Trishul, one that signals India’s intent to stay battle-ready on both flanks simultaneously.

Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as 'South Tibet,' has long been a geopolitical flashpoint. India’s ramped-up infrastructure and forward deployment in the region have irked China, which continues to expand its presence across the LAC.

By conducting Poorvi Prachand Prahar in Mechuka, a valley just 30 km from the border, India is demonstrating logistical confidence and operational depth in a theatre that demands exceptional mobility and coordination, a CNN-News18 report said.

The Indian Navy’s participation, through air surveillance and logistics support, also signals a broader shift toward multi-domain readiness, where maritime forces back high-altitude operations far from the sea.

Even as the focus moves east, Exercise Trishul continues to dominate the western theatre.

Conducted along the Rajasthan and Gujarat borders, Trishul involved live-fire drills, cyber and space warfare modules, and coordination between strike formations, fighter jets, and naval reconnaissance teams.

According to CNN-News18, Vice Admiral A N Pramod, Director General Naval Operations, described it as “a very large, complex, and multi-domain integrated operation, including aspects of cyber and space.”

Together, Trishul and Poorvi Prachand Prahar mark India’s most ambitious display of simultaneous tri-theatre readiness since independence.

The timing of the exercise is strategic. India has been stepping up surveillance and mobility near the LAC, especially after recurring standoffs in Eastern Ladakh and Arunachal’s Yangtse sector.

Defence sources tols CNN-News18, Poorvi Prachand Prahar will help fine-tune response mechanisms and test integrated logistics chains at high altitude, a crucial capability in any future border contingency with China.

Adding to the context, Pakistan has also issued NAVAREA and NOTAM warnings for firing drills in the Arabian Sea, overlapping partly with India’s Trishul exercise. Military observers note that while such drills are routine, the parallel timing underscores a heightened strategic alertness across the subcontinent.