In News:

India has joined the United States and Sri Lanka in Exercise Pacific Angel 2025, the largest multilateral disaster response and humanitarian assistance drill in the Indo-Pacific. The exercise signifies growing regional collaboration in humanitarian aid, disaster relief (HADR), and emergency preparedness amid increasing natural and geopolitical challenges in the Indian Ocean region.

About Exercise Pacific Angel 2025

• Host: Sri Lanka (Katunayake Air Base)
• Participants: United States, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, and Maldives.
• Troop Strength: Nearly 90 U.S. and 120 Sri Lankan Air Force personnel, along with contingents and observers from partner nations.
• Assets Deployed:
  • U.S.: Two C-130J aircraft
  • Sri Lanka: Bell 412, B-212 helicopters, and a King Air 350 aircraft

Key Focus Areas

• Search and Rescue (SAR) operations
• Medical readiness and mass casualty response
• Aviation safety and engineering support
• Aeromedical evacuation drills and air mobility exercises

Linked Regional Drills and Strategic Context

The Pacific Angel series forms part of a broader network of U.S.-led multilateral exercises in South Asia aimed at improving interoperability, crisis response, and regional security.

1. Exercise Tiger Lightning 2025

• Host: Bangladesh
• Participants: Bangladesh Army and U.S. Army Pacific
• Objective: Strengthen counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, jungle warfare, and medical evacuation capabilities.
• Highlights: Simulation-based drills, rescue operations, and counterinsurgency coordination.

2. Exercise Tiger Shark 2025 (Flash Bengal Series)

• Host: Bangladesh
• Participants: Bangladesh Navy’s Special Warfare Diving & Salvage Unit, Para Commando Brigade, and U.S. Special Forces.
• Aim: Enhance maritime security, small-unit tactics, and special operations readiness.
• Training Components: Patrol boat handling, small-arms marksmanship, and maritime interdiction.

3. RQ-21 Blackjack UAS Program

• Location: Bangladesh
• Partnership: U.S. Army & Navy with Bangladesh Army and Navy.
• Purpose: Develop indigenous unmanned aerial surveillance capabilities for border monitoring, maritime domain awareness, and UN peacekeeping missions.
• Structure: Establishment of a joint Army-Navy UAS regiment.

Strategic and Geopolitical Significance

• Enhancing Humanitarian Preparedness:Pacific Angel 25 reinforces the ability of Indo-Pacific nations to jointly respond to natural disasters such as cyclones, tsunamis, and earthquakes, ensuring rapid humanitarian assistance and coordination.
• Building Regional Trust and Interoperability:Joint training fosters mutual understanding, operational coordination, and shared standard operating procedures (SOPs) among participating air forces and disaster response agencies.
• Geostrategic Balancing:The U.S. engagement through multilateral drills in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, both immediate neighbours of India, signals Washington’s intent to expand its strategic presence in South Asia. This move is viewed within the broader Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at maintaining a “free, open, and resilient region” while counterbalancing China’s growing influence.
• India’s Role:India’s participation aligns with its Neighbourhood First, Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), and Act East policies. It also strengthens HADR diplomacy, reinforcing India’s image as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.