New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS): A joint military exercise between India and the US began on Friday in Washington as part of the ongoing defence co-operation between the two nations.

It is being conducted at the Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington.

Named Yudh Abhyas, the exercise is one of the largest joint-running military training and defence co-operation endeavours between India and the US. It will end on September 18.

Officials said armies of India and the US will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed operations for neutralization of threats of varied nature during the exercise.

At the end, a joint exercise will be undertaken by both countries in an operational setting under a UN mandate. Experts from both sides will hold academic and military discussions to share each other's experiences on varied topics for mutual benefit.

The exercise will provide an opportunity to the armed forces of both countries to train in an integrated manner at the Battalion level, with joint planning at Brigade level, whereby multiple scenarios will be rehearsed to understand each other's organisation structure.

The exercise, which is in its 15th edition, is conducted alternately in India and the US.