Quad initiative seeks to bolster civilian disaster response in Indo-Pacific

New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) Quad partners -- Australia, India, Japan and the US -- took part in a "tabletop exercise" in Hawaii recently to take forward the grouping's vision of leveraging shared logistics capabilities aimed at strengthening civilian disaster response in the Indo-Pacific.

From April 28 to May 2, the Quad partners convened at the "Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii for a Tabletop Exercise, a simulation to launch the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN)," the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

"The IPLN is an initiative that enables Quad partners to leverage shared logistics capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the region," it said in a statement.

Together with the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, the IPLN reflects the Quad's commitment to ensuring a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and highlights the value of strengthening practical cooperation to address regional challenges, the MEA said.

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a post on X on Thursday, also shared about the recent exercise.

"To take forward the Quad's vision of leveraging shared logistics capabilities to strengthen civilian disaster response in the Indo-Pacific, India, Australia, Japan and the US held a Tabletop Exercise (TTX) in Hawaii from 28 Apr-2 May 2025," he posted on X along with a photograph.

The Quad came together during the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean region to coordinate response and assistance to countries in the region.

The grouping brings together four countries with a commitment to work as a force for global good and to support an open, free, and inclusive Indo-Pacific that is prosperous and resilient.

The Quad had first came together to respond to the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, surging humanitarian assistance to affected countries, the MEA said in note on the Quad in 2023.

In 2022, Quad Foreign Ministers signed the Guidelines for the Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific, it said.

In May 2024, following a tragic landslide in Papua New Guinea, the Quad countries coordinated their response in accordance with these guidelines. PTI KND RHL