India participating in joint exercise (5)
I believe the answer is:
wield
'exercise' is the definition.
(both can mean to employ or make use of)
'india participating in joint' is the wordplay.
'india' becomes 'i' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'participating in' is an insertion indicator.
'joint' becomes 'weld' (weld is a kind of joint).
'i' going within 'weld' is 'WIELD'.
(Other definitions for wield that I've seen before include "Handle - manage" , "Use (weapon, authority)" , "Hold and use (a weapon or tool)" , "exercise" , "Brandish a weapon or exert power" .)