Exercise Rahat Mitra: India-Myanmar HADR Drill Ends in Chennai

The first ever India-Myanmar bilateral tri-services exercise on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, named Rahat Mitra, came to a close at Chennai. The Ministry of Defence announced the conclusion on 9 November 2026. The drill ran for two days, on 5 and 6 November 2026, and brought together soldiers, sailors and air warriors of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force with a visiting delegation of the Myanmar Defence Forces.

What the exercise set out to do

Three aims were set for the drill: to raise the ability of the two sides to work as one in the field, to sharpen coordination between their relief agencies, and to let each side carry home the working methods the other has found useful in a disaster. Because it was a tri-services drill, the three Indian services planned together rather than separately.

Day one: planning and a cyclone on paper

• The opening day went to joint planning and to introducing each side to the relief assets the other can field.
• A table-top exercise was built around a severe cyclone striking the coast. Officers used it to argue through joint protocols and the chain of a coordinated response.
• The Indian Army showed how it clears blocked routes and lays bridges, the first task after a storm cuts a district off.
• The delegation boarded INS Sukanya to see what relief work a warship can carry out from the sea.

Day two: relief across sea, land and air

The second day was given to demonstrations in all three domains. INS Adyar and the Communication Network Centre at Chennai showed the shore-based side of a relief operation and the communication links that keep command and control alive when civil networks fail. The Military Hospital at Chennai ran through field medical triage and the way a relief camp is managed. Flood Relief Teams of the Indian Navy put out their specialised flood gear. Maritime search and rescue was flown as a joint manoeuvre by a Chetak helicopter and INS Bitra. For the casualty evacuation drill, Commodore Aung Niang Win and two other Myanmar officers flew aboard an Advanced Light Helicopter of the Indian Air Force.

Why it matters

Myanmar shares a long land border and the Bay of Bengal with India, and both coasts are hit by cyclones in the same season. A joint relief drill therefore has a practical edge: the two forces now know each other's equipment, signals and procedures before the next storm. The Ministry of Defence framed the first edition as a step in bilateral defence cooperation and in the wider effort towards regional stability and maritime cooperation.