VISAKHAPATNAM: A nine-day maiden Indo-US joint tri-services exercise—Tiger Triumph—will be conducted on the Eastern seaboard from November 13. INS Jalashwa, INS Airavat and INS Sandhayak, Indian Army troops from 19 Madras and 7 Guards, and MI-17 helicopters of the IAF will take part in the exercise.
The United States (US) will be represented by USS Germantown (LSD-42), the second Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship for transport of US Marine Corps (USMC), with 500 US Marines from the US Third Marine Division, sailors and airmen. The exercise is aimed at developing inter-operability for conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations.
The harbour phase will be held at Visakhapatnam from November 13 to 16. The inaugural ceremony along with a joint flag parade and media interaction will be held onboard INS Jalashwa on Thursday.
After the harbour phase, the ships would sail for the sea phase and undertake maritime, amphibious and HADR operations. On reaching the HADR area at Kakinada, the landing of relief forces would be undertaken to the exercise scenario. At the HADR exercise area, a joint command and control centre would be established jointly by the Indian Army and US Marines.
The exercise would culminate with a closing ceremony on board USS Germantown on November 21.