Four thousand Indonesian and U.S. troops are due to begin a two-week joint military exercise today, and it will become the largest ever.”Garuda Shield” military exercise to date.

The Garuda Shield is a joint exercise aimed at improving and enriching the jungle warfare capability of both armies. The 2-week exercises are usually held in Indonesia, taking advantage of the different terrains in the region. The ongoing effort began in 2007 and is sponsored by the US military and the Indonesian military.

PRAJURIT MARINIR PASMAR 1 LAKSANAKAN DRILL LATIHAN LATGABMA SUPER GARUDA SHIELD TA.2022 BERSAMA US MARINES CORPS (USMC) RECONNAISSANCE UNIT pic.twitter.com/pTxhQ5xRGL

— MARINIR TNI AL (@marinir_tni_al) July 31, 2022

In 2010 the Garuda Shield performed in Cipatat, Bandung, Indonesia. Staff officers from Pacific Command, HIARNG, USARPAC and TNI have formed a brigade to support stability and peace in the region. In this Garuda Shield, troops conducted training aligned with standard UN organizational tactics. This has helped both armies improve their tactical interoperability.

During the Garuda Shield, more countries are welcome to join us, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy , Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Russia is usually invited to this list, but because of what’s going on with Ukraine, they might be left out for this year’s Garuda Shield.

AH 64 Apache from @USARPAC and @tni_ad during Exercise Garuda Shield 2021. Heaven’s Guardian Angel
🇺🇸🇮🇩 pic.twitter.com/7bGuWwIhOF

— Nebuchadnezzar (@abe_accord) July 29, 2022

According to a statement from the US Embassy in Jakarta, the Super Garuda Shield will take place from August 1-14. Besides Indonesia, participating countries like Australia, Japan and Singapore will kick off the ceremonies. Other countries will join us, such as Canada, France, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the United Kingdom, but only as observer countries. This is a massive show of coalition power amid rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, as Major General Stephen Smith, Commander of US Troops, had said, this should not be construed as a threat. Major General Smith said it was a “purely military-to-military exercise“.

“It’s not a threat or shouldn’t be considered a threat to anyone, anywhere,” Smith said.

Read more : Watch: BYU’s origami shield folds out to protect up to three .44 magnum cartridges

“I am proud to see how Garuda Shield has grown since last year – expanding this summer into a joint multinational exercise that includes all of our service components,” said General Charles Flynn, commanding general of the US Army Pacific. “It is a symbol of the US-Indonesia bond and the growing relationship between the land forces in this important region…because the land forces are the glue that binds the region’s security architecture together. We do this together by building preparedness, building relationships and building trust. By joining forces in this way, we sew the fabric of regional security into something lasting. »

Besides tactical and military training, the exercise will also include cultural exchanges to strengthen the US-Indonesia partnership “through shared learning and training.” There will also be academic discussions, professional development workshops, and other activities focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Long-standing partnership between the United States and Indonesia

The United States has been an ally of the Indonesian military. For decades, the United States has provided various military aids to the country, such as International Military Education and Training (IMET). Under the Department of Defense program, the U.S. Army provided $1.3 million under the program to “Increase Professionalism, Strengthen Respect for Democratic Values ​​and Human Rights.” However, IMET was suspended from 1999 to 2002 due to concerns about human rights abuses by the Indonesian military (TNI) in East Timor. However, in 2004, IMET took over under President Bush, funding the training with an additional $600,000.

Indonesian Army counterparts to conduct joint road repairs as part of Garuda Shield 2022. (Credit: U.S. Army photos by Staff Sgt. Kyle Chatman , 8th Theater Sustainment Command.)” width=”720″ height=”480″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/cms.sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/FY6ZGLsaIAI1Za-.jpg?w=720&ssl=1 720w, https://i0.wp.com/cms.sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/FY6ZGLsaIAI1Za-.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px” data-recalc-dims=”1″/>

The State Department also launched a counterterrorism assistance program in 2006, spending $6 million to “train and equip” Indonesia’s special counterterrorism police called Special Detachment 88 (SD-88).

Although a multi-million aid package has been sent to Indonesia over the years, Congress has imposed restrictions on US aid. According CFRthe military can only provide limited and conditional foreign military funding and is not allowed to offer lethal defense items to Indonesia.

Prajurit dari 1st Special Forces Group – Airborne @The American army membriefing kontingen prajurit @tni_ad dlm taktik skala regu, sbg persiapan Super #GarudaShield bd 30 Juli di Nimitz Training Area, Guam.
📸 Garuda Shield Page pic.twitter.com/vUJ9WwZd85

— ARCinc (@arcinc_id) July 31, 2022

So far, these programs have proven effective. For example, US officials say their Indonesian military support was instrumental in the attack on the Australian embassy in Jakarta. According to Acting Counter-Terrorism Coordinator William P. Pope, SD-88 was able to arrest the main terrorist and apprehend three terrorists planning to bomb a major shopping mall.

However, the SD-88 is not fail-proof. The Bali bombings still took place and terrorist groups could still carry out their operations on Indonesian soil.

However, many are optimistic about the outcome of the Super Garuda Shield 2022.