Exercise Rahat Mitra, the first tri-services disaster relief exercise between India and Myanmar, began in Chennai on Thursday with more than 300 personnel from the armies, navies and air forces of the two countries.

The two-day humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) exercise is coordinated by the Indian Navy, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Its theme is Together for Humanity, Stronger through Partnership. The aim is to build mutual trust and improve coordination between the two militaries, so that they can work side by side when a real emergency comes. Personnel are also exchanging professional experience.

The exercise will reinforce the resolve of both nations to "uphold peace and stability and provide humanitarian assistance during times of crisis," the Navy said. It placed the drill under India's Neighbourhood First policy and the MAHASAGAR vision, short for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.

Exercise Rahat Mitra puts flood rescue and bridge laying on display

The Indian Army, working alongside the Navy and the Air Force, demonstrated the capabilities of its Flood Relief Columns and Engineer Task Forces. The demonstration covered "rescue operations, dewatering and bridge laying to restore connectivity," the Defence Public Relations Office in Chennai said.

These tasks come first after a flood or cyclone, when people are stranded, low-lying areas stay under water and roads are cut, so relief trucks cannot get through.

The Embassy of India in Myanmar described the effort as "preparing together and working together" to save lives.

The exercise opened on the day Tiger Triumph 2026, the tri-service HADR exercise with the United States, closed at Visakhapatnam. Indian Army columns were deployed on flood relief in Assam in July.

India has sent ships and aircraft to Myanmar since Cyclone Nargis

The Embassy lists 14 instances of Indian humanitarian assistance to Myanmar since 2008, and the armed forces carried much of it.

After Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, INS Rana, INS Kirpan and eight Indian Air Force aircraft delivered relief under Operation Sahayata. Two Indian medical teams stayed in the affected areas for more than two weeks.

Operation Karuna followed Cyclone Mocha in May 2023, when four Navy ships reached Myanmar with relief material and medicines. In September 2024, after Typhoon Yagi, Operation Sadbhav sent 32 tonnes by air to Naypyidaw and another 21 tonnes aboard INS Satpura to Yangon.

Operation Brahma carried around 1,000 tonnes of aid to Myanmar

The largest effort came after the earthquake of 28 March 2025. Under Operation Brahma, nine Air Force aircraft, five Navy ships and one Myanmar Navy ship moved around 1,000 tonnes of aid.

An 80-member National Disaster Response Force team worked at more than a dozen sites in Mandalay. The Army's field hospital there treated 2,519 patients. A six-member Army Engineer team also inspected a damaged bridge on the Mandalay to Naypyidaw route.

Those missions began after disaster had struck. Exercise Rahat Mitra is the first time the three services of both countries have trained together for such a mission before one is needed.

Army talks at Naypyidaw came ahead of the Chennai exercise

The two armies held their eighth Army-to-Army Staff Talks at Naypyidaw shortly before the exercise, with joint training, capacity building and professional exchanges on the agenda. The Indian delegation also handed over training simulators to the Myanmar Army, the Indian Army said.

Contact has been steady through 2026. The visit of Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing to New Delhi was followed in September by the fifth edition of the India-Myanmar Bilateral Army Exercise (IMBAX) at Umroi in Meghalaya.

Myanmar Navy ship joined BIMSTEC drill at Sri Vijaya Puram

At sea, UMS King Aung Zeya of the Myanmar Navy joined the BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise at Sri Vijaya Puram, which opened on 30 October and was scheduled to run until 3 November. Myanmar was one of four countries that sent ships to join the Indian Navy for that drill.