ISLAMABAD: The opening ceremony of the ninth International Pakistan Army Team Spirit Competition (PATS) 2026 featuring 19 countries, including Saudi Arabia, was held in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, the Pakistani military said.
The opening ceremony was held at the National Counter Terrorism Center in the northwestern Pabbi town, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said. It marked the start of 60-hour-long patrolling exercise which is part of the competition.
It said the exercise demands the highest standards of physical fitness, mental resilience and military expertise. The exercise also focuses on rapid decision-making while conducting challenging sub-tactical missions in a “near-real operational environment.”
“A total of 24 international teams from 19 friendly countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Türkiye, the United States and Uzbekistan are participating in the exercise,” the ISPR said.
The ISPR also said Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand are participating in the international exercise as observer states.
“Pakistan Army Team Spirit is a mission-specific and task-oriented professional military exercise, hosted annually in Pakistan,” the ISPR said.
The military’s media wing said 16 local teams from Pakistan’s army and navy, along with observers from the Pakistan Air Force, are taking part in the event.
The exercise is held annually in Pakistan, with the eighth edition held in April 2025.
“The aim of the exercise is to promote perseverance through team spirit,” the ISPR said. “It seeks to hone basic soldierly attributes while enhancing interoperability among participating forces through mutual sharing of innovative ideas and best practices.”
