The following post has been updated to correct the units embarked aboard USS Comstock (LSD-45). White, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, has a small presence in Tiger Triumph 2025; they are not aboard Comstock.
Amphibious warship USS Comstock (LSD-45) is now deployed in the Indo-Pacific with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, embarked. Comstock is the first West Coast-based amphibious ship to be deployed in the Indo-Pacific this year. In other developments, Marine Rotational Force-South East Asia (MRF-SEA) has wrapped up its six-month deployment with the completion of Exercise Valiant Mark with the Singapore Army.
A Navy release stated that on Tuesday, Indian and U.S. armed forces held an opening ceremony in Visakhapatnam, India, to launch Exercise Tiger Triumph 2025. The release said this is the fourth time U.S. and Indian forces have come together for Tiger Triumph, a joint India-U.S. amphibious exercise. The exercise will involve approximately 3,000 personnel and at least four ships and seven aircraft from the two countries.
“The operations and associated tactics and procedures that we will plan, execute and refine with our Indian partners will greatly expand our joint combined capacity to respond to any crisis,” said Rear Adm. Greg Newkirk, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 70 and the joint U.S. forces participating in the exercise, in the release.
“Tiger Triumph 25 represents the joint forces of two strategic partners enhancing our shared multi-domain awareness and ability to operate more effectively in those commonly understood domains. This is essential to prepare for any contingency that could emerge.”.
The release stated that the exercise will take place over a two week period, Tiger Triumph 2025 will include the first-ever subject matter expert exchange with U.S. and Indian industry partners, government representatives, and operators focused on applying cutting-edge autonomous capabilities to address critical warfighter needs, “This exchange will advance the new U.S.-India Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA) announced in February by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi and lays the groundwork toward greater integration of autonomous systems into future U.S.-India exercises,” reads the release.
U.S forces taking part in the drill are Comstock with embarked U.S. Marines, destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114), U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon and U.S Air Force C-130J aircraft, as well as a U.S Army platoon, medical platoon, Civil-Military Operations Center and Multi-Domain Task Force Combined Information Effects Fusion Cell.
During the sea phase, which will take place from April 8 to 12, the bilateral forces will work together to train for maritime, amphibious and humanitarian aid and disaster relief through a Joint Combined Command and Control Center, according to the Indian Navy release. Units from the Indian Navy include landing platform dock INS Jalashwa (L41) with integral landing craft & helicopters, destroyer INS Mumbai (D62), amphibious assault ship INS Gharial (L23), fleet oiler INS Shakti (A57), P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft, MH60-R helicopters and Hawk Aircraft. The Indian Army will deploy an infantry battalion group, including mechanised forces, and Special Operations Forces from all three services will also participate in the exercise. The Indian Air Force will deploy C-130 transports and Mi-17 helicopters for the drills
Comstock’s deployment mirrored last year’s deployment of amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD-25) which deployed from January to August as part of a staggered deployment of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) to the Indo-Pacific owing to problems with amphibious assault ship USS Boxer’s (LHD-4) rudder. Problems with the Navy’s amphibious fleet readiness, has resulted in Navy only able to deploy a single West Coast-based ARG with an embarked MEU annually to the Indo-Pacific in recent years along with the forward-deployed America ARG based in Japan.
Currently, the West Coast-based amphibious assault ships at San Diego, which would lead an ARG, consist of Boxer, USS Essex (LHD-2), USS Makin Island (LHD-8) and USS Tripoli (LHA-7). Tripoli is scheduled to relocate to Japan this year to replace USS America (LHA-6) in the forward-deployed role.
The limited ARG/MEU presence in the Indo-Pacific has resulted in the Marine Corps utilizing its Marine Rotational Forces (MRF), MRF-SEA and MRF-Darwin (MRF-D) to lead Marine Corps participation in a number of exercises in South East Asia.
Both commands are drawn from units of the 1 Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and alternate their presence in the region with MRF-SEA deploying from September to March and MRF-D deploying from April to September, “Together, these rotational forces provide I MEF a year-round presence west of the International Date Line.”, stated MRF-SEA spokesperson Capt. Mark McDonough to USNI News.
The two units are composed differently, with MRF-D being built around a fixed composition of units for its deploymen,t while MRF-SEA is built around a command element with forces assigned according to taskings at different periods of the deployment.
The September 2024 – March 2025 deployment of MRF-SEA is the unit’s third annual deployment and the first one where it deployed for a full six months in the region, “MRF-SEA is a relatively new force employment concept, and this iteration was the first to deploy for a full six months. New concepts come with tremendous opportunities to grow and develop, and this iteration of MRF-SEA has certainly learned many things. However, being new also presents unforeseen and unique challenges that our Marines have had to overcome. I have been so impressed with the ingenuity, dedication, and commitment that our Marines and Sailors have demonstrated throughout the deployment,”, said Col. Stuart Glenn, the commanding officer of MRF-SEA in a statement to USNI News.
On Mar. 26, MRF-SEA wrapped up its deployment with the conclusion of Exercise Valiant Mark 2025 that was carried out with 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards, 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade, Singapore Army. An MRF-SEA release stated that Marines from 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, attached to MRF-SEA, trained and integrated for ten days with Singapore Guardsmen.
This year’s iteration focused heavily on the partner nations’ ability to execute a combined assault on an objective in an urban environment, according to the release, with Marines, Sailors and Guardsmen working together at every stage, from operational planning and intelligence integration to small unmanned aircraft system employment, close air support drills, and the execution of an air assault.
The exercise saw the two forces conducting Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) training at Murai Urban Training Facility to share tactics, techniques, and procedures for operating in urban environments and conducting a combined assault on an objective within SAFTI City, the Singapore Armed Forces’ newly commissioned urban training facility known for being one of the largest and most technologically advanced of its kind in the world, according to the release.
“Valiant Mark 25 successfully demonstrated the strong partnership between the U.S. Marine Corps and the Singapore Guards. This year’s combined training at the newly opened SAFTI City validated the capabilities of both forces in a complex and challenging urban environment.”, read the release, which also stated that the next iteration of Valiant Mark, set to take place at Camp Pendleton, California, will further develop the operational capabilities of U.S.-Singapore forces and maintain the interoperability achieved during this year’s exercise in Singapore.
