India and the United States ended the fifth edition of their joint disaster-relief exercise, Tiger Triumph, with a closing ceremony in Visakhapatnam on 5 November 2026.
The tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ran from 31 October to 5 November. It had two parts: a Staff Exercise (STAFFEX) and a Tabletop Exercise (TTX), with personnel from both countries' armed forces. The focus was joint amphibious operations.
What happened
The STAFFEX covered operational planning, lectures and expert exchanges on areas including cyberspace and medical operations. In the TTX, forces applied the plans from the STAFFEX in a simulated setting to build a shared understanding of the challenges of combined HADR operations.
Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, and Rear Admiral Joaquin J. Martinez de Pinillos, Vice Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, attended the closing ceremony.
Background
Tiger Triumph was first held in 2019. The Defence Ministry says the exercise improves interoperability and defence cooperation between the two countries.
Photos
Source: official release by the Ministry of Defence, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (06 NOV 2026 1:59PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: EXERCISE TIGER TRIUMPH 2026 CULMINATES WITH CLOSING CEREMONY.
How we verified this
VerifiedEvery fact, figure and quotation is taken from the official PIB release (Release ID 2333530) issued by the Ministry of Defence on 06 NOV 2026 1:59PM by PIB Delhi; checked against the source on publication. Story written by BDT from that release; no outside facts added.
Sources
- 1.EXERCISE TIGER TRIUMPH 2026 CULMINATES WITH CLOSING CEREMONY — Press Information Bureau, Government of India
