US, Indonesia to Hold Large-Scale Joint Military Drill in Sumatra

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Indonesia and the United States will conduct a large-scale military exercise next week to enhance their combined interoperability capabilities, with 11 other nations participating as partner nations or observers.

The annual Garuda Shield exercise will be conducted on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan from August 1 to 14.

It aims to bolster the U.S.-Indonesia Strategic Partnership and advances regional cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Indonesia.

It stated that the joint drill would be “significantly larger in scope and scale than previous exercises” with dozens of other nations taking part for the first time, including Singapore, Australia, and Japan.

“It’s a symbol of the U.S.-Indonesia bond and the growing relationship between land forces in this consequential region,” General Charles Flynn, Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific, said in a statement.

Indonesia will deploy seven Blackhawk helicopters, 41 armored vehicles, and 618 weapons for the upcoming Garuda Shield exercise, Indonesian General Andika Perkasa told reporters last week.

The drill will include 2,000 U.S. troops, 2,000 Indonesian forces, and troops from partner nations. Canada, France, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and the United Kingdom will join as observer nations.

The drill comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China over the latter’s growing assertiveness in the region.

But Major General Stephen G. Smith, who will be directing operations on the ground in the exercise, told reporters in Jakarta on Friday that the drill should not be seen as a response to any tensions.

“This exercise is not a threat or should not be viewed as a threat to anybody, anywhere. This is a purely military-to-military exercise,” he said.

Tensions and rhetoric flared this week amid reports that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi planned to visit Taiwan as soon as August.

But U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping managed largely to steer clear of escalation in a call on Thursday, suggesting that neither side—preoccupied with economic woes at home—wants a fresh crisis across the Taiwan Strait.

Reuters contributed to this report.