U.S. and Indian Naval Forces Deepen Strategic Cooperation Through Joint Amphibious Exercise.

From April 4 to April 11, 2025, the United States and India conducted Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025, a high-profile bilateral tri-service military drill focused on advancing interoperability, joint operational readiness, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) capabilities. Held along India’s eastern seaboard near Kakinada Beach in the Bay of Bengal, this year’s edition of the exercise underscored the growing defense partnership between the world’s two largest democracies and their shared commitment to a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
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Indian Army soldiers from the 4/8 Gurkha Rifles Infantry Battalion, 91st Infantry Brigade, maneuver in a Mahindra Armored Light Specialist Vehicle alongside a BMP-II Sarath amphibious infantry combat vehicle during a large-scale amphibious landing drill conducted as part of Exercise Tiger Triumph at Kakinada Beach, Andhra Pradesh, India, on April 11, 2025. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)

Tiger Triumph is the only tri-service India-U.S. exercise, involving integrated participation from land, sea, and air components. In 2025, the exercise brought together approximately 3,000 personnel and over a dozen military platforms from both countries, reaffirming the scale and strategic depth of this defense collaboration. This year marked the fourth iteration of the exercise and the most advanced to date, incorporating new dimensions such as autonomous systems innovation and enhanced command-and-control architecture.

Central to the exercise was a large-scale amphibious landing operation at Kakinada Beach, led by the Indian Army’s 4/8 Gurkha Rifles Infantry Battalion, part of the 91st Infantry Brigade. Indian troops deployed ashore in Mahindra Armored Light Specialist Vehicles (ALSVs) and BMP-II Sarath amphibious infantry combat vehicles, demonstrating the mobility and combat effectiveness required in HADR and coastal operations. Their actions were closely synchronized with assets from the Indian Navy, including the INS Jalashwa (L41)—a landing platform dock that served as the primary amphibious command ship. The INS Mumbai (D62), INS Gharial (L23), INS Shakti (A57), and P-8I maritime patrol aircraft rounded out India’s naval participation, highlighting a robust maritime capability tailored to both combat support and humanitarian missions.

On the U.S. side, the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Comstock (LSD 45) spearheaded amphibious operations, launching Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vessels to deploy U.S. Marines from the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion onto the beachhead. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) provided additional firepower and maritime security during the operation. A P-8A Poseidon conducted ISR missions, while the U.S. Air Force C-130J and Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft executed coordinated airdrop missions to simulate logistics support to disaster-struck zones. Complementing these assets were a U.S. Army platoon, a medical platoon, a Civil-Military Operations Center, and a Multi-Domain Task Force Combined Information Effects Fusion Cell, emphasizing the comprehensive, whole-of-force approach both nations brought to the exercise.

The maritime dimension of Tiger Triumph 2025 highlighted the maturing defense relationship between the Indian and U.S. navies. With a mutual focus on maintaining maritime domain awareness, freedom of navigation, and stability in the Indo-Pacific, the exercise provided a practical scenario for operational alignment in amphibious warfare, logistics coordination, and maritime security. Both navies have steadily strengthened ties through exercises such as Malabar and institutional agreements like the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA). Tiger Triumph adds a crucial amphibious and humanitarian component to these engagements, reflecting the growing role of naval forces in regional crisis response and disaster relief.

Rear Admiral Greg Newkirk, Commander of Task Force 70 and the lead U.S. officer in the exercise, remarked, “Tiger Triumph 2025 is a culmination of years of trust-building and operational alignment. Our ability to project power, provide humanitarian assistance, and operate under a unified command framework is essential to preserving peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

Further reinforcing this cooperation were coordinated airdrop operations by U.S. and Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, which delivered critical supplies to the beachhead. Field hospitals and logistics points were quickly established by combined medical and engineering teams, simulating an immediate response to a regional natural disaster.

A key innovation in this year’s exercise was the first-ever subject matter exchange on autonomous systems, led by INDOPACOM J85 and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). This groundbreaking session brought together U.S. and Indian industry leaders, military planners, and government officials to explore the application of autonomous technologies to solve real-world warfighter challenges. The exchange marked the beginning of the U.S.-India Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA), announced earlier in February 2025 by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This initiative aims to deepen industrial defense ties and promote joint development and integration of next-generation autonomous systems in future military operations, including Tiger Triumph 2026 and beyond.

As climate change, regional instability, and natural disasters pose increasing threats to the Indo-Pacific, exercises like Tiger Triumph are essential for building joint preparedness and fostering trust between strategic partners. The integration of cutting-edge technology, combined with the execution of complex amphibious operations and multinational coordination, affirms the U.S.-India defense relationship as a vital pillar of regional security architecture. With the participation of U.S. 7th Fleet—the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet—and India’s expanding blue-water capabilities, Tiger Triumph 2025 stands as a robust demonstration of two powerful democracies united in their vision for a secure, rules-based Indo-Pacific.