Chennai: India and Myanmar began their first bilateral tri-services exercise on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), named Rahat Mitra, at Chennai on Thursday, the defence ministry said on Friday.
The exercise is scheduled for November 5 and 6. It is being held under the theme “Together for Humanity, Stronger through Partnership. More than 300 personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force of both countries are taking part. The Indian Navy is coordinating the exercise.
The ministry said the exercise aims to strengthen cooperation, build mutual trust and improve coordination between the two armed forces. It also gives both sides a platform to exchange professional views, share experiences and improve interoperability in disaster response.
Army personnel, together with the Navy and the Air Force, demonstrated the capabilities of flood relief columns and engineer task forces, the Indian Embassy in Myanmar said.
The ministry linked the exercise to India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and to MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), which it described as India’s strategic vision. It said the exercise would also reinforce both countries’ resolve to uphold peace and stability and to provide humanitarian aid in times of crisis.
India has helped Myanmar in earlier disasters. It launched Operation Karuna in May 2023 after Cyclone Mocha and Operation Brahma after the earthquake of March 28, 2025. Myanmar was also among the countries that took part in an Indian Navy HADR exercise at Chennai in August 2019.
The two countries share a land and maritime border, and the Bay of Bengal region is prone to cyclones and floods. The Navy-led exercise is meant to prepare their forces to work together in such emergencies, the ministry said, and marks a step towards deeper defence cooperation between the two neighbours.
