Eternal Brotherhood – III Multinational Joint Special Forces Exercise Started In Kazakhstan

This year’s Eternal Brotherhood-III multinational joint special forces exercise, hosted by Kazakhstan, officially kicked off on 10 September with an opening ceremony at the Orda training ground in the Turkestan region. The special forces of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, and Uzbekistan participated in the exercise. Representatives of the Armed Forces of Jordan and Kyrgyzstan were also invited as observers.

The first exercise of the series was held in the Turkish capital, Ankara, in 2022, while the second was held last year in Barotha, Punjab province of Pakistan, with six countries participating.

The second Eternal Brotherhood-II multinational joint special forces exercise was held in 2022 in Barotha, Punjab, Pakistan. Image: ISPR

Similar to the statements made in previous years, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence stated that the exercise would be held with the aim of ensuring operational interoperability in the activities of control bodies and units, improving the practical skills of military personnel, exchanging experience, and increasing professional capabilities.

From the Eternal Brotherhood-III multinational joint special forces exercise hosted by Kazakhstan. Image: The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence

During the exercise, which is expected to last about two weeks, up to 300 special forces personnel from six countries will carry out tactical, fire, mountain, parachute, and sniper training. At the end of the exercise, special forces units will fulfill the tasks as part of a combat training operation to detect and neutralize illegal armed detachments in a settlement. According to the plan, in addition to special forces, armored vehicles, army aviation, and unmanned aerial vehicles will also appear during the exercise.

The Eternal Brotherhood-III, Joint Special Forces Exercise, is just one example of the military partnership of six participants who identify as brotherly countries because of their similar attitudes towards history, culture, and religion. Every year, these countries come together in many different international exercises to increase the interoperability of their land, naval, and air forces. Examples of such exercises are ‘TURGUTREIS,’ ‘AL ADEID,’ ‘International Anatolian Phoenix,’ ‘AMAN,’ ‘CINNAH,’ ‘TurAz Eagle,’ ‘Three Brothers,’ and ‘Birlestik 2024’ (Association-2024).