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Current affairsExercise Veer Guardian 2026: India-Japan Bilateral Air Exercise at Jodhpur — Second Edition, F-2A Fighters on Indian Soil for the First TimeThe Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) are conducting Exercise Veer Guardian 2026 — the second edition of their bilateral air exercise — at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan (September 9–22, 2026). Japanese F-2A fighters operated from Indian soil for the first time, both air chiefs flew the indigenous LCA Tejas, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the exercise as a "significant milestone" for the India-Japan strategic partnership. Current affairsVeer Guardian-2026: India-Japan Bilateral Air Exercise at Jodhpur — 2nd Edition, IAF-JASDF Interoperability, and Strategic SignificanceIndia and Japan launched the 2nd edition of their bilateral air exercise Veer Guardian-2026 at Air Force Station, Jodhpur, from September 9–22, 2026. The exercise, involving the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF), deepens military interoperability under the India-Japan Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership amid shared Indo-Pacific security objectives. Current affairsIndia-Japan Defence Bilateral 2026: Rajnath Singh–Koizumi Talks — Maritime Security, Make in India, and Indo-Pacific StrategyRaksha Mantri Rajnath Singh held bilateral defence talks with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi on August 20, 2026, focusing on maritime security cooperation, defence equipment collaboration under the Make in India framework, and a free and open Indo-Pacific. Koizumi had visited India's Western Naval Command in Mumbai on August 19, reinforcing the depth of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership.