Asia Defense | Security | Southeast Asia

Indonesia, United States Kick Off Annual Multinational Military Exercises

Super Garuda Shield 2026 will involve more than 4,700 troops from 13 nations, and observers from a further eight others.

U.S., Indonesian, and South Korean marines, as well as personnel from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, stand at attention during an opening ceremony for Exercise Super Garuda Shield 26 at the Indonesian Marine Corps 7th Infantry Battalion base near Lampung, Indonesia, Aug. 31, 2026.

The United States and Indonesia launched annual multilateral military exercises yesterday, which the two sides said aimed to improve interoperability and bolster deterrence in the region.

Super Garuda Shield, which has been held annually since 2007, will take place in various locations including Bandung, Lampung, Kalimantan, and the Indonesian Army’s Baturaja Combat Training Center in South Sumatra before concluding in Jakarta on September 11.

This year’s iteration will involve more than 4,743 personnel from 13 other countries including Japan, ​South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. A further eight nations will join as observers. While the total number of troops is slightly down on last year’s iteration, which featured a record 5,400 participants, it includes more participating nations than ever, with India taking part as an observer for the first time.

Major General Patrick Ellis, the commanding general of the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said that the exercise was critical for “building the human architecture that keeps the Indo-Pacific safe.”

“The security landscape of the Indo-Pacific is complex and readiness cannot be surged when a crisis begins,” he said at an opening ceremony at the Indonesian Armed Forces’ School of Command in Bandung. He added, “We are not just meeting for another annual training cycle. We are writing a historic new chapter in our ​bilateral relationship.”

TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, said that “the purpose of the exercise is, first, diplomacy, and then cooperation through the exchange of capabilities.”

The Garuda Shield exercise was established between the U.S. and Indonesian militaries in 2007 and forms a primary pillar of the two nations’ defense relationship. “Super” was added to its title in 2022, when the exercise was expanded into a multilateral format.

This year, the exercises “will include a joint staff exercise, cyber exercise, airborne operations, jungle training, and amphibious exercise,” the U.S. Army said in a statement.  U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast........

© The Diplomat