Visakhapatnam: The fifth edition of Tiger Triumph, the bilateral tri-service humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) exercise between India and the United States, ended with a closing ceremony at Visakhapatnam on Thursday, the Indian Navy said on Friday.
The exercise ran from October 31 to November 5. It consisted of a staff exercise (STAFFEX) and a tabletop exercise (TTX), with personnel from the armed forces of both countries taking part. It focused on interoperability and mutual understanding in planning and conducting combined HADR operations, with particular emphasis on joint amphibious operations.
The STAFFEX covered operational planning, academic lectures and subject matter expert exchanges on contemporary domains, including cyberspace and medical operations. The TTX let the forces test the concepts and plans from the STAFFEX in a simulated operational setting. It was meant to build a shared understanding of operational challenges and of the coordination mechanisms needed for combined HADR missions.
The closing ceremony was attended by Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi, the flag officer commanding Eastern Fleet, and Rear Admiral Joaquin J. Martinez de Pinillos, the vice commander of the US Pacific Fleet. Senior officers and dignitaries from both sides were also present.
The exercise began with an opening ceremony on November 2 at the Maritime Warfare Centre in Visakhapatnam, according to media reports. After the closing ceremony, the US Pacific Fleet said on X that the exercise had reinforced the India-US partnership and deepened interoperability. At the opening, Martinez de Pinillos described Tiger Triumph as a reflection of the “growing strength, sophistication, and shared commitment” of the Major Defence Partnership between the two countries.
The defence ministry said the exercise reaffirmed both nations commitment to improving joint HADR capabilities and to peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.
Background
Exercise Tiger Triumph was first held in 2019, after India and the US agreed at their first 2+2 dialogue in September 2018 to hold a joint tri-service exercise. The inaugural edition ran in November 2019 at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
The third edition had a harbour phase from March 18 to 25, 2024 and a sea phase from March 26 to 30. Special forces of the three Indian services and their US counterparts trained at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada. The closing ceremony was held on board USS Somerset.
