The maiden edition of the Tri-Services India-US Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Amphibious Exercise named Tiger Triumph got off to a grand start on the eastern seaboard on Thursday with top officials from both the countries resolving to take the relationship to the next level.
Prominent among those who participated in the opening ceremony on-board INS Jalashwa, a landing platform dock currently in the Eastern Naval Command, included US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster, Vice-Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, Sujay Berry, Commander, Eastern Fleet and Cmde Christopher M. Causee, Executive Officer, USS Germantown.
Over 500 from US and 1,200 from Indian forces are participating in the nine-day exercise being organised off Visakhapatnam and Kakinada coasts.
The training events are expected to increase US-India military-to-military relations and learning about the best practices and standard operation practices (SOPs) in disaster and humanitarian response.
The exercise includes staff-planning events as well as field training that simulate moving a humanitarian assistance/disaster relief force from ship to shore.
The forces from both countries will transit from Visakhapatnam to Kakinada. The troops will shift ashore and set up a Joint Command and Control Centre and joint relief and medical camp.
INS Airavat, a landing ship tank, including its integral landing crafts and helicopters and hydrographic survey ship INS Sandhayak, operating as a hospital ship are participating in the exercise. The Indian Army will deploy one battalion group comprising troops from the 19 Madras and BMP-II infantry combat vehicles from 7 Guards unit. The Indian Air Force is deploying one C-130J super Hercules aircraft, Mi-17 transport helicopters and rapid action medical team.
The US Task Force consists of US Navy Ship German Town, a landing ship dock with integral landing craft air cushions and amphibious assault vehicles and specially trained troops from the US III Marine Expeditionary Force. The joint force comprises marine mechanised rifle company, a marine logistics element and medical regulatory team.
“Exercise Tiger Triumph gives us the opportunity for professional and cultural exchanges at all levels that expand common ground and demonstrate the strength of the US-India relationship,” according to US Marine Corps Lt. Col. Dana Demer, Special Purpose Marine-Air Ground Task Force Commander.
Visit to naval facilities
The exercise will have harbour phase till November 16 and sea phase from November 17 to 21. It includes visit to naval facilities, search and seizure training, live-fire drills, ship manoeuvre and landings by Indian helicopters on the Germantown’s flight deck.
