US and Indonesian troops conclude joint drills with live-fire exercise

Thousands of soldiers from Indonesia and the United States concluded annual joint military drills with a live-fire exercise on Wednesday together with forces from a dozen other countries.

The Garuda Shield exercise began on Aug. 24 in the capital Jakarta, with activities also taking place in the towns of Baturaja and Dabo Singkep on Sumatra Island.

Indonesia’s Military Chief Gen. Agus Subiyanto and Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin oversaw Wednesday’s exercise, which included long-range artillery and rocket firing, integrated airstrikes and ground troop maneuvers.

Subiyanto praised Indonesian troops “who have demonstrated interoperability with strategic partners in addressing various threats.”

During the 11-day combat exercise, US soldiers assigned to the 11th Airborne Division for the first time fired two FIM-92 Stinger missiles in Indonesia, marking a milestone for Washington. The FIM-92 Stinger is a surface-to-air missile designed to destroy low-flying aircraft.

“Not only is this a first for the whole eleventh (Airborne Division), but it is also the first time that we are utilizing this capability in Indonesia,” Army Capt. Kaden Cox, the officer in charge of the live-fire exercise, said in a statement from the US Department of Defense.

The two missiles were fired in Baturaja last week, it added.

Hosted by the Indonesian National Armed Forces, this year’s Super Garuda Shield focused on strengthening regional ties in an increasingly unstable global landscape, the military said in a statement.

The exercise has been held annually by Indonesian and US soldiers since 2006. The list of participants has expanded since 2022 to include Australia, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Brazil and South Korea, bringing the total number of troops taking part in the drill to 6,500.

Several Asian countries also sent observers to the exercise.

China criticized the drills and accused the US of trying to build an “Asian NATO” to limit China’s growing military and diplomatic influence in the region.

During a recent speech in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington has been strengthening military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to reassure allies alarmed by Beijing’s increasing military and economic pressure and provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea.