Asia-Pacific
U.S. Navy and Indian Navy open Exercise Tiger Triumph 2026 in Visakhapatnam
The fifth Tiger Triumph exercise between U.S. and Indian forces has opened in Visakhapatnam, with a focus on disaster response and multi-domain command and control.
The U.S. Navy and the Indian Navy have opened Exercise Tiger Triumph 2026, a bilateral exercise in Visakhapatnam, on India’s eastern coast. According to a U.S. Pacific Fleet release published on DVIDS, the opening ceremony took place on 2 November 2026.
The release describes the exercise as combined and joint, centred on humanitarian assistance and disaster response, tabletop staff planning and integrated multi-domain command and control. It is the fifth iteration of the series since it began in 2019.
U.S. Pacific Fleet Vice Commander Rear Adm. Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos said the training “reinforces our shared commitment to regional stability” and prepares forces “to rapidly respond to crises and natural disasters in the region.” He called the exercise a sign of the strength of the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership.
Indian Navy Rear Adm. Vishal Bishnoi, Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Fleet, said the exercise “gives practical expression” to the relationship between the two countries by bringing together complementary capabilities in demanding humanitarian and disaster-relief settings.
What the programme includes
The release says this year’s edition combines staff planning with all-domain tabletop exercises and specialised work on command, control, cyber and space synchronisation. Participants will also hold subject-matter expert exchanges, community outreach and cultural events.
The opening comes as Washington and New Delhi continue to work on their wider relationship. Earlier Geopolitiki reporting covered Rubio in Mumbai: U.S.-India trade deal “incredibly close”, possible in “weeks, not months”, and India’s navy has also been active in the Eastern Mediterranean, where its frigate called at Souda Bay in Crete.
The release does not give the duration of the exercise or the number of personnel and ships taking part, and those details are not reported here. Tiger Triumph is a humanitarian and planning-focused exercise, in the words of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, “in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”