India and the United States have begun the fifth edition of their bilateral tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) amphibious exercise in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Exercise Tiger Triumph 2026 formally opened on Monday, 2 November 2026, and is now underway, the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet said on Tuesday.
The exercise brings personnel from the Indian and US Armed Forces together for training aimed at improving cooperation during humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. Its programme includes operational planning, tabletop exercises and work on integrated command, control, cyber and space synchronisation.
Exercise focused on joint crisis response
Tiger Triumph 2026 is described as a bilateral, combined and joint exercise. The stated focus is to advance interoperability between the two militaries during HADR operations, while also improving staff-level planning and multi-domain command-and-control arrangements.
The US Navy’s Pacific Fleet said the exercise is intended to strengthen defence cooperation and the ability of the two countries to respond to regional crises. The training is taking place in Visakhapatnam, a major Indian naval base on the eastern seaboard, although the announcement did not provide details of the forces, ships or aircraft participating.
“Tiger Triumph represents the growing strength, sophistication, and shared commitment of the US-India Major Defence Partnership. Our bilateral training reinforces our shared commitment to regional stability, refines our combined operational coordination, and prepares our forces to rapidly respond to crises and natural disasters in the region.”
— US Pacific Fleet Vice Commander US Navy Rear Adm. Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos
Indian Navy Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, said the exercise gives practical expression to the India-US relationship by bringing together the complementary capabilities of the two armed forces in demanding HADR settings.
“Our two countries share a strong and enduring partnership, built on mutual trust, professional respect and an expanding range of defence engagements. Exercise Tiger Triumph gives practical expression to this relationship by bringing together complementary capabilities of our armed forces in demanding humanitarian assistance and disaster response settings.”
— Indian Navy Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet
Fifth edition since 2019
The 2026 iteration is the fifth exercise in the Tiger Triumph series, which began in 2019. The current edition incorporates several strands of cooperation:
- bilateral operational and staff planning;
- all-domain tabletop exercises;
- specialised training in command, control, cyber and space synchronisation;
- subject-matter expert exchanges and community outreach.
The exercise is also intended to build familiarity between the participating personnel and improve coordination across military organisations during disaster-response missions. The emphasis on planning and command arrangements means that the activity extends beyond field drills to the procedures required for a coordinated response involving multiple services.
For India, the exercise provides a platform for the Army, Navy and Air Force to train alongside their US counterparts in a setting centred on crisis response rather than conventional combat operations. The US Navy said the exercise reflects the continuing expansion of the two countries’ defence engagement and their stated commitment to regional stability.
