Quad advances Indo-Pacific disaster-response logistics network with Tokyo exercise
New Delhi, Sep 13. India, Australia, Japan and the United States have taken another step towards operationalising the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN), conducting a two-day tabletop exercise in Tokyo to strengthen coordination and interoperability for civilian disaster-response operations across the region.
The exercise was held on September 3-4 and hosted by Japan’s Ministry of Defence, following an agreement reached at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in May 2026, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on September 13.
The Tokyo exercise built on the outcomes of the first IPLN tabletop exercise held in Hawaii in April 2025 and a field training exercise conducted in Guam in December 2025. The latest exercise focused on natural-disaster scenarios and examined how the four countries could combine and make more effective use of their respective logistics capabilities during large-scale emergencies.
The exercise also sought to improve interoperability and streamline coordination among the four partners, with the participants making significant progress towards developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the IPLN.
The SOPs are expected to provide an institutional framework for putting the logistics network into effective operation, enabling the four countries to respond more rapidly and efficiently to humanitarian crises across the Indo-Pacific.
During the exercise, the Quad partners expressed condolences to people affected by recent devastating floods and reiterated their commitment to supporting countries in the region during natural disasters and other emergencies.
The four countries also discussed mechanisms for coordinating humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations during crises.
The IPLN is designed to enable Australia, India, Japan and the US to pool and leverage their logistics capabilities to support civilian responses to large-scale natural disasters. The initiative seeks to speed up relief operations, save lives, facilitate recovery and provide timely assistance to regional partners.
The Tokyo tabletop exercise underlined the Quad’s growing focus on practical cooperation rather than solely strategic dialogue, particularly in areas with direct benefits for Indo-Pacific countries.
The four partners are expected to continue efforts to operationalise the IPLN through further tabletop and field exercises, confidence-building measures and exchanges among subject-matter experts.
The initiative is also being positioned as part of the Quad’s broader effort to strengthen regional resilience and contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific, particularly by improving collective capacity to respond to humanitarian and natural-disaster challenges.
