New Delhi, March 19 : US Ambassador Eric Garcetti said India and America are paving the way for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific as he hailed the ongoing joint exercise between the two nations, on Tuesday.

A bilateral tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise between India and the US -- 'Tiger Triumph-24' -- commenced on Monday and will continue on the Eastern Seaboard till March 31.

"Congratulations to @USNavy and @IndianNavy for a stellar kick-off to #TIGERTRIUMPH 2024! Joint exercises like this underscore the vital #USIndiaDefense partnership, strengthening our bonds and securing our shared interests," Ambassador Garcetti wrote in a post on X.

"Together, we're paving the way for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific that benefits all nations," he added with a hashtag, USIndiaFWD.

On Monday, US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, appreciated the important role being played by the Indian Navy in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean region.

In a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, he discussed ways to implement the India-US Defence Cooperation Roadmap which was concluded last year.

Tiger Triumph-24 is aimed at developing interoperability for conducting HADR operations and refining the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enable rapid and smooth coordination between forces of both countries, the Indian Navy said in a statement.

'The Harbour Phase is scheduled from 18 to 25 March. Personnel from both navies would participate in Training Visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, Sports Events and Social interactions.

Following the completion of this phase, the ships, with the troops embarked, would sail for the Sea Phase and undertake Maritime, Amphibious and HADR operations in accordance with injected situations,' the navy said.

/IANS