Rear Admiral Greg Newkirk of the U.S. Navy interacting with The Hindu in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: V. RAJU
The ongoing fourth edition of the India-U.S. bilateral and tri-services exercise is witnessing a rise in complexities in many domains, and it is said to be one of its kind Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) joint operation by the forces of the two nations.
Speaking to The Hindu, Rear Admiral Greg Newkirk, U.S. Navy, Commander of the Task Force 70 and U.S. joint forces participating in Tiger Triumph, said the exercise was designed to see that all the services of the armed forces of both the countries could operate seamlessly under a combined structure of the joint task force of India and the U.S.
This year, the exercise added many more complexities in the domain of sea, undersea area, air, land, space and cyber. “We are covering almost all the domains of information, as information is the most critical aspect of any HADR operation,” he said.
“Operating two joint forces under one single command structure, and to execute a mission, is a complex endeavour, and the idea of such exercises is to better the interoperability,” he said.
Quick response
“The focus is on quick response to a humanitarian disaster and providing assistance. We simulate a major storm-like scenario, which has caused significant damage and human loss, and we execute an operation to see how rapidly we respond to the crisis to reduce human suffering. The use of space technology is being used to reduce damage, get early warnings and improve the response time,” Rear Admiral Greg Newkirk said.
On the use of space technology, Major David Amiel, U.S. Air Force, who is a subject expert, said, “In this exercise, the U.S. Space Force is jointly working with the Indian space agencies for improving interoperability.”
He said the imagery from space played an important role in HADR operations. “Now we are in a position to share unclassified and shareable images between both the countries for decision making,” he added.
Responding to a question on whether the exercise also involved military intervention, Rear Admiral Newkirk said, “This is not our primary goal, but if there is an aspect of security arising from the disaster, then we are prepared. Post a major disaster, there may be a scramble for resources, or there can be chaos. Then, we may intervene to put things back into order.”
He pointed out that the synergy between India and the U.S. increased at all levels, including planning and executing complex operations.
On what was the most critical aspect in a HADR mission, he said restoring communication and gathering information from people affected was crucial.
Major Jordan Vargas, U.S. Marine Corps, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and an expert in amphibious operations, and Cmdr. J.P. Wainscott, U.S. Navy, Task Force 59 and an expert in unmanned maritime systems, were present.
Tiger Triumph began on April 1. It is being held on the eastern seaboard and will be on till April 12.
Published – April 03, 2025 08:48 pm IST
