August 27, 2024
JAKARTA – The multinational joint exercise Garuda Super Shield 2024 commenced on Monday with an opening ceremony at the Juanda Naval Air Base in Sidoarjo, East Java, which includes cyber threat exercises for the first time.
The joint exercise was opened by the Indonesian Military (TNI) Education and Training Command (Kodiklat) deputy commander Vice Marshal Widyargo Ikoputra and the Hawaii National Air Guard commander Maj. Gen. Joseph R. Harris II, the TNI said in a media statement on Monday.
Widyargo said the joint exercise was a confidence-building measure (CBM) among militaries and to strengthen bilateral military-to-military relations as well as multilaterally.
“Make [this] an opportunity to gain strategic benefits for participating countries,” Widyargo said, as quoted by the statement.
He also thanked and appreciated the United States as Indonesia’s counterpart in the joint exercise as well as the participating countries for their contributions.
Meanwhile, Harris urged the participants to make use of the opportunities through professional and cultural exchanges to strengthen the partnership through joint learning and training challenges.
Harris added that this year’s Super Garuda Shield challenged the participants to cooperate collectively and reach the exercise’s aims and that the joint exercise showed the participants’ determination and commitment toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The Super Garuda Shield joint exercise aims to, among other things, develop and improve the capabilities to plan and conduct joint operations supported by joint staff.
Another aim is to improve joint staff capabilities between the TNI and US armed forces to support each commander during a crisis through synchronization of the commander’s vision, mission and decision cycle.
The exercise is also meant to increase interoperability in planning joint operations by combining all domains to improve and increase partnerships and friendly countries.
The joint exercise is held from Monday to Sept. 6 in several places, such as the Indonesian Marine Corps’ 5th Combat Training Center (Puslatpur) in Karang Tekok, Situbondo, East Java; the Indonesian Army Puslatpur in Baturaja, South Sumatra and the Military Command V/Brawijaya’s Combat Training Education Center (Dodiklatpur) in Asembagus, Situbondo, East Java.
The joint exercise will include a staff exercise, a cyber exercise, airborne operations, a cargo delivery system, a joint strike, a jungle field training exercise, a special operation force, an amphibious operation, an engineer civil action project and a combined arm life fire exercise.
The TNI has deployed 4,723 servicemen from the three services while the foreign militaries have deployed 2,214.
Other than Indonesia and the US, other participants come from countries in the Indo-Pacific region, comprising Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, military observers come from Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Timor-Leste.
First held in 2007, the Garuda Shield started as a bilateral joint exercise between the US and Indonesian armies before inviting participants and observers from other countries in 2009.
The joint army exercise was then upgraded to include other services, the navy and air force to become a multinational combined arms joint exercise.
Ksatria Warrior 2024
United States Army soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team stand in front of the Indonesian Army’s NBell-412 helicopter during the opening ceremony of the Ksatria Warrior 2024 joint exercise at the Military Command V/Brawijaya Combat Traning Education Center in Asembagus, Situbondo, East Java, on Aug. 21, 2024. The training was held until Aug. 25, 2024, ahead of the Super Garuda Shield 2024 multinational joint exercise which started on Aug. 26, 2024. (Courtesy of the Indonesian Military/-)
Ahead of the Super Garuda Shield 2024, the Indonesian Army and the US Army held the Ksatria Warrior joint exercise from Wednesday to Sunday at the Brawijaya Dodiklatpur in Asembagus, Situbondo, East Java.
The joint exercise was opened by the Indonesian Army Strategic Command’s 2nd Infantry Division chief of staff Col. Medi Hariyo Wibowo and the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander Col. Adisa King.
The Ksatria Warrior joint exercise had the soldiers train in troop leadership procedure, marksmanship, infantry battle tactics, staff exercise, survival, medic and evacuation drills.