By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
BANDUNG, INDONESIA (Worthy News) – The United States and Indonesia have launched joint military exercises featuring tactical airborne jumps, missile firing, jungle training, cyber defense, naval maneuvers, and humanitarian aid operations, despite Indonesia’s close ties with China.
Operation “Super Garuda Shield,” held annually since 2006, will run until September 11 and involve more than 4,700 personnel, organizers said.
Besides Indonesia and the United States, more than a dozen other countries are taking part, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada.
The exercises, which began August 31, are being held in several regions across the vast Indonesian archipelago to improve cooperation between the participating armed forces, officials said.
AIRBORNE JUMPS
During one exercise, more than 200 U.S. and partner-nation paratroopers parachuted into a training area near Baturaja in South Sumatra, on the large Indonesian island of Sumatra, Worthy News learned. After landing, troops moved through the area before beginning jungle training.
“This is pretty tough to beat, jumping a jungle drop zone in Indonesia,” said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Dwayne Steppe, one of the commanders involved. “Airborne operations know no borders; they know no language.”
American troops trained alongside forces from Indonesia and several other countries, helping soldiers accustomed to different climates and terrain learn to operate together in Indonesia’s tropical environment.
“We are not just meeting for another annual training cycle. We are writing a historic new chapter in our bilateral relationship,” Major General Patrick Ellis, a senior U.S. Army commander, said as the exercises opened in Bandung, a major city on Indonesia’s densely populated island of Java.
DEEPENING DEFENSE TIES
The drills come as Washington and Jakarta deepen their defense cooperation, including U.S. support for Indonesia’s military modernization and training.
Yet Indonesia has long pursued a foreign policy of non-alignment, seeking friendly relations with competing world powers.
President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to maintain good relations with both the United States and China as rivalry between Washington and Beijing increasingly shapes the Asia-Pacific region.
Additionally, Indonesia has moved to strengthen military ties with Beijing, highlighting Jakarta’s efforts to cooperate with both powers rather than firmly align itself with either side.
DISASTER RESPONSE
The military exercises include humanitarian and disaster-relief training, an important issue for Indonesia, where earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and other natural disasters regularly threaten communities.
Indonesia sits along the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The vast archipelago has more than 100 active volcanoes.
In one of the latest emergencies, severe wildfires burned nearly 95,000 hectares (234,750 acres) in July, with smoke and haze contributing to respiratory problems and school closures in affected areas.
Additionally, Anak Krakatau began erupting late Friday in the Sunda Strait between the major islands of Java and Sumatra, spreading volcanic ash and forcing authorities to close eight airports, including Jakarta’s main international airport. Some 1,558 flights involving about 170,000 passengers have been affected, authorities said.
STRATEGIC ARCHIPELAGO
Earthquakes and tremors, some even felt in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital on the island of Java, have added to concerns, a Christian church worker told Worthy News.
The exercises are being held in strategically important territory: Indonesia stretches across thousands of islands between the Indian and Pacific oceans, has more than 280 million inhabitants and is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
While most Indonesians are Muslims, the country is home to millions of Christians as well as Hindu, Buddhist and other religious minorities.
The drills underscore Indonesia’s growing strategic importance as Washington and Beijing compete for influence across the region.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
