New Delhi, Nov. 1 -- The military has begun large-scale drills in the country's western sector and the Arabian Sea to test its operational readiness, with the exercise involving tens of thousands of soldiers, fighter jets, warships, submarines, tanks, artillery guns and several other weapons and systems, officials aware of the matter said on Friday. The two-week tri-services exercise, which began on Thursday, is being conducted in Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Arabian Sea, the officials said. The army has named the exercise Trishul. It is the first major military exercise being held after the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan in May under Operation Sindoor. The main aim of the tri-services exercise is to enhance synergy among all the maritime forces as well as the three services, director general naval operations Vice Admiral AN Pramod told reporters on Friday, the first comments from a top official on the exercise. "Around 20-25 warships and 40 aircraft are taking part in the exercise. Amphibious operations will also be conducted using INS Jalashwa and other platforms. It is being held in a very large, complex environment and we are also conducting integrated multi-domain operations, including the cyber and space domains," he said. The exercise involves the Western Naval Command, South Western Air Command and the army's Western Command. The exercise area also covers the Sir Creek sector separating Gujarat from Pakistan's Sindh province, the officials said, asking not to be named. On October 2, defence minister Rajnath Singh warned Islamabad of an overwhelming response if it attempted any mischief in Sir Creek sector, the comments coming against the backdrop of the neighbour shoring up military infrastructure near the area. The response, he then said, will be strong enough to alter the history and geography of the area, putting the spotlight on the 96-km disputed maritime strip between the two countries on which both sides last held talks more than 13 years ago. Last week, Singh also said that Pakistan is still recovering from the blow dealt by India during the four-day military clash. The operation, he said, showcased jointness and integration among the three services and reaffirmed the government's resolve of devising coordinated, adaptive and preemptive defence strategies to deal with the challenges in a changing world order and evolving methods of warfare....