US and Indonesia Launch Super Garuda Shield Exercise to Deter Aggression

The United States and Indonesia have opened their annual Super Garuda Shield exercise, bringing nearly 5,000 personnel from 15 countries into drills designed to strengthen defense capabilities and deter aggression in the Asia-Pacific.

The exercise runs through Sept. 11 across several parts of Indonesia. Its activities include tactical airborne operations, Stinger missile firing, jungle warfare, infiltration exercises, maritime mobility and cyber defense. Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada are among the 13 other participating countries.

This year's exercise carries added weight because it is the first joint drill since Washington and Jakarta signed a new defense partnership. The two countries signed an important defense cooperation agreement in April, and Indonesian authorities said the United States would support military modernization and troop training.

At the opening ceremony in Bandung, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis said the exercise would help build the personnel framework needed to maintain Indo-Pacific security. "We are not just gathering for another annual training cycle, we are writing a historic new chapter in the bilateral relationship," he said.

Indonesia maintains a nonaligned foreign policy. President Prabowo Subianto has pledged friendly relations with all countries while balancing ties between the United States and China. Jakarta also agreed to strengthen military links with Beijing during visits by China's foreign and defense ministers earlier this month.

Super Garuda Shield includes humanitarian disaster relief training, and the two countries plan another exercise later this year under the name Peace Garuda. That drill will focus on humanitarian aid, disaster relief and military cooperation. Indonesia frequently faces natural disasters because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, while wildfires have also caused widespread damage and haze this year.

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We are not just gathering for another annual training cycle, we are writing a historic new chapter in the bilateral relationship.