Quad nations hold drill in Tokyo to strengthen disaster relief network

With natural disasters rising steadily across the Indo-Pacific region, Quad countries have taken a major step to speed up humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, or HADR, work. India, the United States, Japan and Australia, the four member nations, held a special tabletop exercise, also called a TTX, in the Japanese capital Tokyo on September 3 and 4, 2026. The exercise was organised by Japan's Ministry of Defense and aimed to strengthen the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network, or IPLN, and improve coordination between the military and civilian logistics capabilities of the four countries.

Even as New Delhi works to improve and stabilise its diplomatic ties with Beijing, India continues to push for strengthening the security and disaster management framework in the Indo-Pacific region under the Quad framework. The Tokyo exercise laid out various severe natural disaster scenarios. It involved detailed preparation and planning on how the four countries could share resources and logistics capabilities during major crises such as cyclones, earthquakes and floods.

The two-day Tokyo exercise mainly focused on increasing interoperability among Quad countries. It worked out, in practical terms, how the machinery of different countries could function together during emergencies, how quickly information could be exchanged, and how existing logistics could be used effectively.

Through this exercise, Quad countries made significant progress toward finalising the standard operating procedures, or SOPs, for the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network. These SOPs will serve as an institutional framework to implement the network quickly and correctly during any major crisis in future. This will save valuable time and ensure timely help reaches people in need.

Quad countries are working continuously to run the IPLN at full capacity. The Tokyo exercise was not the first in this series. Before this, the first tabletop exercise was held in Hawaii, United States, in April 2025, followed soon after by an actual field training exercise in Guam in December 2025. Coming after the 2025 exercises, the 2026 Tokyo exercise has further strengthened the Quad's disaster management planning.

During the exercise, representatives of the Quad countries expressed deep sympathy for people affected by devastating floods in various regions in recent times. All the countries agreed on increasing coordination to provide help and support to regional countries during crises. The main objective of the IPLN is that whenever a major natural disaster strikes the Indo-Pacific region, the shared logistics capability of the four countries can be used to deliver food, medicines and relief material to affected people in the shortest possible time. Going forward, Quad countries will further strengthen this logistics network through similar tabletop exercises, field exercises, confidence-building measures, and exchange of technology and expertise.