UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — OPENING CEREMONY OF EXERCISE TIGER TRIUMPH 2026

Q1. With reference to the terms used to describe military exercises, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 'joint' exercise necessarily involves forces of more than one nation.
  2. A bilateral exercise can be multi-service without involving all three services of either country.
  3. An exercise involving only the Indian Navy and the US Navy would be 'combined' but not 'joint'.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 3 only

Q2. Which one of the following activities would correctly be described as 'joint' but NOT 'combined' in military usage?

  • A. Indian Air Force and French Air Force fighters practising air combat manoeuvres
  • B. Indian Navy and Japanese Navy ships carrying out a passage exercise at sea
  • C. Indian Army, Navy and Air Force units training alongside a contingent of US Marines
  • D. Indian Army and Indian Air Force units rehearsing a relief-supply airdrop together

Q3. With reference to the internationally accepted framework on the use of foreign military assets in disaster relief, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Foreign military assets should be requested only where no comparable civilian alternative is available.
  2. Once foreign military forces arrive at an affected state's request, primary responsibility for relief on its territory passes to the assisting state.
  3. A foreign military contingent may begin relief operations in an affected country without its request if the disaster is large enough.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Before US forces could take part in relief operations inside India under a combined plan, India would have to formally seek international assistance.
  2. International guidelines direct that foreign military assets be preferred over civilian assets in disaster relief because militaries are logistically self-sufficient.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. With reference to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which took part in Exercise Tiger Triumph for the first time in 2026, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is a statutory force whose legal basis is the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
  2. It is a branch of the Indian armed forces, in the same way as the Army, Navy and Air Force.
  3. In Operation Maitri (2015), its search-and-rescue teams were airlifted by the Indian Air Force, reflecting a division of labour between military logistics and specialist civilian rescue.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. A disaster-relief exercise that earlier had harbour, sea and amphibious phases is converted into a tabletop exercise. Consider the following statements about what this change entails: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The exercise can still test the sequence of decisions and the command relationships among participating agencies.
  2. The exercise becomes less costly and less visible than one that deploys ships and troops.
  3. Real-world assumptions, such as ports remaining open or fuel being available, are left untested.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q7. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Tiger Triumph 2026 cannot by itself confirm whether relief assets can physically reach a disaster-hit coastline, as the beaching operations of the 2025 edition sought to demonstrate.
  2. A tabletop exercise is conducted through discussion of a scenario, without live deployment of personnel or equipment.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q8. Consider the following assertion: 'Cooperation framed as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief can build capabilities that also have strategic and military uses.' Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

  1. Skills practised in HADR exercises, such as joint command and linked communications, are also needed in combat operations.
  2. The Quad grouping traces its origin to a Tsunami Core Group formed by India, the US, Japan and Australia after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
  3. Under accepted norms, foreign forces can undertake HADR in a country only on that country's request.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only