The harbour phase of the exercise is scheduled at Visakhapatnam from April 1 to 7, involving various training events at sea, which will also include further enhancement of procedures established during previous Tiger Triumph exercises.

metro india news  I Visakhapatnam

The fourth edition of Tiger Triumph, an amphibious bilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) exercise, between India and the US kicked off here on Tuesday. The opening ceremony was held aboard the Indian Navy’s INS Jalashwa (L41), reflecting the deepening convergence of US-India strategic maritime interests and defence partnership.

"The present edition is aimed at further enhancement of interoperability and combined joint all-domain operations during large-scale HADR operations," said a press release from the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command. The harbour phase of the exercise is scheduled at Visakhapatnam from April 1 to 7, involving various training events at sea, which will also include further enhancement of procedures established during previous Tiger Triumph exercises.

The harbour phase will also include training and subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) on a plethora of subjects such as special operations, emergency medical response procedures and operations across air, maritime, cyber and space domains. These exchanges are aimed at enabling Indian and US forces to continue sharing best practices and building stronger bonds, along with visits to sites of cultural importance and sports engagements to nurture camaraderie and personal relationships.

The sea phase of the exercises scheduled from April 8 to 12 will focus on joint training in maritime, amphibious and HADR operations through a Joint Combined Command and Control Centre. "This phase will conclude with the establishment of a joint combined humanitarian relief and medical response camp following an amphibious landing at Kakinada," said the press release.

Participating units from the Indian Navy include Landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa with integral landing crafts and helicopters, Delhi-class guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai (D62) and long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, among others. Likewise, the Indian Army will be represented by an infantry battalion group and mechanised forces while special operations forces from all the three services will also participate, along with cyber and space specialists.

Meanwhile, US Navy’s Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Comstock (LSD 45) with marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and 1st Light Armoured Reconnaissance battalion will participate.

Other American participants include subject matter experts from the US Space Force and Air Force, C – 130J aircraft, civil military operations centre and several others units. Jorgan K Andrews, Charge d’ Affaires, US Embassy in India noted that Tiger Triumph is a great example of how our (US and India) nations can partner together in times of humanitarian need to provide lifesaving support.

"Every year this exercise builds on the previous exercise and breaks new ground. Yesterday we conducted our first U.S.-India joint logistics movement," said Andrews in a press release. This joint logistics movement shows how our major defence partnership makes the Indo-Pacific more secure for all people, he said, declaring Tiger Triumph 2025 officially open.