Tiger Triumph 2026 concludes after six days of joint planning at Visakhapatnam, with India and the United States closing the fifth edition of their tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise at a ceremony on Thursday.

The exercise ran from 31 October to 5 November in two parts, a Staff Exercise (STAFFEX) and a Tabletop Exercise (TTX), according to the Ministry of Defence.

Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, and Rear Admiral Joaquin J Martinez de Pinillos, Vice Commander, US Pacific Fleet, attended the closing ceremony along with senior officers and dignitaries from both sides.

"Our two countries share a strong and enduring partnership, built on mutual trust, professional respect and an expanding range of defence engagements," Rear Admiral Bishnoi said as the exercise began on 31 October. "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," he added.

"Tiger Triumph represents the growing strength, sophistication, and shared commitment of the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership," Rear Admiral Martinez de Pinillos said. "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," he added.

Tiger Triumph 2026 concludes with amphibious operations in focus

The edition centred on planning combined HADR operations, the ministry said, with particular emphasis on joint amphibious operations. It also aimed to enable Combined Joint All-Domain Operations, in line with the maritime interests the two countries share.

Amphibious relief has run through the series from the start. The first edition in 2019 was built around landing relief forces at Kakinada, where the Indian Army and US Marines were to set up a joint command and control centre. INS Jalashwa, INS Airavat and INS Sandhayak took part for India, with troops from 19 Madras and 7 Guards, Air Force Mi-17 helicopters and a Rapid Action Medical Team. The US side sent USS Germantown with troops of the 3rd Marine Division.

The 2024 edition opened with the arrival of USS Somerset at Visakhapatnam.

The 2025 edition had a harbour phase at Visakhapatnam and a sea phase off Kakinada. INS Jalashwa hosted its opening ceremony and USS Comstock its close, with USS Ralph Johnson also on the US side. It worked on procedures for a Combined Coordination Centre to link the Indian and US task forces during a crisis.

The 2026 edition was built around planning, with its opening ceremony held at the Maritime Warfare Centre on Monday.

Staff exercise covered cyberspace and medical operations

The STAFFEX comprised operational planning, academic lectures and Subject Matter Expert Exchanges on areas including cyberspace and medical operations. The sessions allowed the two sides to share professional expertise and best practices, the ministry said.

Lieutenant Commander Christopher Tam of the US Pacific Fleet delivered the exercise overview brief. Captain Hannah Pavlisin of the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine took a session on En Route Critical Care Teams, the medical crews who look after seriously injured patients while they are being moved.

Tabletop exercise put the plans through a simulated crisis

Participants then applied the concepts and plans from the STAFFEX in a simulated operational environment.

The aim, the ministry said, was a common understanding of operational challenges and of how the two sides would coordinate in combined HADR operations. "Together We Plan, Together We Triumph," the Indian Navy said in a post marking the close of the exercise.

NDRF joined Tiger Triumph for the first time

A team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) took part in the series for the first time this year, the ministry said in its opening release. The Indian side also included maritime specialists from the Navy, ground forces from the Army, representatives of various Air Force units and Special Forces personnel from all three Services.

On the US side were representatives of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy, along with space, cyber, medical and Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists.

Exercise closes a busy autumn for India-US defence ties

As Tiger Triumph 2026 concludes, the series has run five editions since its start in 2019. The ministry said this edition reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to joint HADR capabilities and to peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.

The exercise began days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Cebu, a meeting that marked one year of the ten year defence framework signed in October 2025.

The two armies had earlier trained together at Mahajan during Yudh Abhyas, where US Ambassador Sergio Gor watched the firepower demonstration.

Visakhapatnam, the base for this year's exercise, is home to the Eastern Naval Command.