India-US tri-service exercise draws to close

New Delhi: The 14-day bilateral tri-service exercise between India and the US, ‘Tiger Triumph-24’, has concluded, officials said on Sunday. The exercise that began on March 18 aimed at developing interoperability for conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and refining standard operating procedures to enable rapid and smooth coordination between the forces of the two countries.The Indian Army’s contingent took part in the second edition of the tri-service exercise in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh along with the Navy and the Indian Air Force. The closing ceremony of the amphibious exercise was held on board USS Somerset on March 30, a senior official said.

The exercise signifies the “robust strategic partnership” between the two countries and was aimed towards sharing best practices and standard operating procedures in undertaking multinational HADR operations. The harbour phase was conducted in Visakhapatnam from March 18 to 25 and included pre-sail discussions, subject matter expert exchange, sports engagements, ship boarding drills and cross-deck visits, officials said.

Personnel from both the navies celebrated the festival of Holi together on March 25 as part of the cultural exchange programme showcasing the vibrant and vivid culture of India, they said. The sea phase was conducted from March 26 to 30 and it included units of both countries undertaking maritime exercises, followed by landing of troops at Kakinada for setting up of a joint command and control centre and a joint relief and medical camp for HADR operations, the Navy spokesperson said in a statement.

“Cross-deck helicopter operations involving UH3H, CH53 and MH60R helicopters were also undertaken between ships of the Indian Navy and the US Navy off Kakinada and Visakhapatnam,” the official added. The participating units from the Indian Navy included a landing platform dock, landing ship tanks (large), guided missile frigate and long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

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