India-Myanmar inaugural tri-services HADR Exercise Rahat Mitra concludes in Chennai
Synopsis
India and Myanmar have held their very first bilateral tri-services disaster relief exercise — Rahat Mitra — in Chennai, covering flood relief, casualty evacuation, and maritime search-and-rescue across Army, Navy, and Air Force. The inaugural drill, which included Myanmar officers flying aboard an IAF helicopter, signals a formal deepening of HADR cooperation along India's most sensitive land border.
Key Takeaways
India and Myanmar held the inaugural bilateral tri-services HADR Exercise Rahat Mitra in Chennai on 5-6 November 2026 .
Personnel from the Indian Navy , Indian Army , and Indian Air Force participated alongside the Myanmar Defence Forces .
Activities included a Table-Top Exercise (TTX) on a cyclone scenario, flood relief demonstrations, and Maritime SAR manoeuvres involving a Chetak helicopter and INS Bitra .
Commodore Aung Niang Win and two Myanmar officers flew onboard an IAF ALH during casualty evacuation demonstrations.
The exercise is part of India's Act East policy framework; India shares a 1,643 km land border with Myanmar.
India and Myanmar successfully concluded their inaugural bilateral tri-services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise Rahat Mitra in Chennai on 5-6 November 2026, the Ministry of Defence announced on Monday, 9 November. The two-day exercise brought together personnel from the Indian Navy, Indian Army, and Indian Air Force, alongside a delegation from the Myanmar Defence Forces, to sharpen joint disaster response capabilities.
Objectives and First-Day Activities
The exercise was designed to enhance operational interoperability, improve cross-force coordination, and facilitate the exchange of best practices in disaster response. Day one centred on joint planning and a Table-Top Exercise (TTX) built around a severe cyclone scenario, enabling both sides to deliberate on coordinated response mechanisms and joint disaster management protocols.
Participating contingents witnessed demonstrations of obstacle clearance and bridge-laying capabilities by the Indian Army, and visited INS Sukanya to gain firsthand insight into the Indian Navy's shipborne HADR capabilities.
Multi-Domain Demonstrations on Day Two
The second day featured multi-domain HADR capability demonstrations spanning maritime, land, and air domains. INS Adyar and the Communication Network Centre, Chennai, showcased shore-based disaster response arrangements and the communication infrastructure that underpins command and control during emergencies.
Military Hospital, Chennai, demonstrated field medical triage and the coordinated management of disaster relief camps. The Indian Navy's Flood Relief Teams (FRT) displayed specialised equipment for flood relief operations, while Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities were exhibited through coordinated manoeuvres involving a Chetak helicopter and INS Bitra.
In a notable highlight, the Indian Air Force demonstrated casualty evacuation capabilities, with Commodore Aung Niang Win and two other officers of the Myanmar delegation onboard an IAF ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) during airborne operations.
What the Ministry of Defence Said
The Ministry of Defence said the exercise 'provided an important platform for the Defence Forces of both countries to exchange operational experiences, share best practices and enhance mutual understanding in planning and executing HADR operations.' It added that the exercise 'facilitated familiarisation with each other's capabilities and procedures, contributing to improved coordination during disaster response operations.'
Strategic Significance
The inaugural nature of Rahat Mitra is significant — it marks a formal institutional step in India-Myanmar defence cooperation at a time when bilateral ties face diplomatic complexity. India shares a 1,643-kilometre land border with Myanmar and has historically been a first responder to disasters in the region, including Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and subsequent flooding events. This comes amid India's broader 'Act East' policy, which places military-to-military engagement with Southeast Asian neighbours at its centre. A formalised tri-services HADR framework with Myanmar adds operational depth to that strategic architecture.
Point of View
And bilateral defence ties have been complicated by Myanmar's post-2021 internal instability. That both sides have formalised a tri-services HADR framework — complete with Myanmar officers boarding Indian Air Force helicopters — suggests New Delhi is deliberately keeping military-to-military channels open irrespective of political turbulence in Naypyidaw. The Act East policy often gets discussed in terms of trade and diplomacy, but its operational military layer, as Rahat Mitra illustrates, is quietly advancing. The real question is whether this framework can be sustained and upgraded into annual exercises with expanding scope, as India has managed with ASEAN partners like Indonesia and Vietnam.
NationPress
9 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Exercise Rahat Mitra?
Exercise Rahat Mitra is India's inaugural bilateral tri-services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise with Myanmar, held in Chennai on 5-6 November 2026. It involved the Indian Navy, Army, and Air Force alongside Myanmar Defence Forces personnel, focusing on joint disaster response coordination.
What activities took place during Exercise Rahat Mitra?
The exercise included a Table-Top Exercise based on a severe cyclone scenario, demonstrations of obstacle clearance and bridge-laying by the Indian Army, maritime search and rescue manoeuvres involving a Chetak helicopter and INS Bitra, flood relief team demonstrations, field medical triage by Military Hospital Chennai, and casualty evacuation flights aboard an IAF Advanced Light Helicopter.
Why is Exercise Rahat Mitra significant?
It is the first-ever tri-services HADR exercise between India and Myanmar, institutionalising disaster response cooperation along a shared 1,643-kilometre land border. The exercise also reflects India's Act East policy of building deeper military-to-military ties with Southeast Asian neighbours.
Where was Exercise Rahat Mitra held?
The exercise was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, over two days — 5 and 6 November 2026. Venues included INS Sukanya, INS Adyar, the Communication Network Centre Chennai, and Military Hospital Chennai.
Who participated from the Myanmar side?
A delegation from the Myanmar Defence Forces participated, including Commodore Aung Niang Win and two other officers who flew onboard an IAF Advanced Light Helicopter during casualty evacuation demonstrations on the second day.
