The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) concluded its participation in Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2022 (XSGS 22), a multilateral exercise involving assets and personnel from thirteen countries. Held in Indonesia from 1 to 14 August 2022, the inaugural exercise was named Exercise Super Garuda Shield to reflect its expanded scope, with many countries, including Singapore, participating or observing for the first time. Both the Singapore Army and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) took part in the exercise with troops and assets. The joint US-Indonesian military exercises hosted in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Riau islands over the past two weeks.
Commending the strong friendship that the SAF shares with the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI), US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) as well as other participating militaries, Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations)-Designate, Brigadier-General Adrian Teng, said, “Exercise Super Garuda Shield allowed participating armed forces to collaborate and share knowledge, enhancing the cooperation among partner nations. It was a valuable opportunity to train alongside the TNI, INDOPACOM and participating countries, as well as to strengthen professional exchanges and friendships among our armed forces.”
The Singapore Army participated in a staff planning exercise that culminated in a field training exercise with the Australian Army, INDOPACOM and Indonesian Armed Forces. The RSN’s Endurance-class landing ship tank RSS Resolution and Formidable-class frigate RSS Supreme participated in a series of manoeuvre and communication exercises in the waters around Riau Islands, Batam and Singkep, together with six ships from the Indonesian Navy and the United States Navy. As a multilateral exercise involving various countries and services, the inaugural XSGS 22 is an important platform to promote friendship, mutual understanding, and professional exchanges amongst the participating armed forces.
The drills—dubbed “Super Garuda Shield” this year given the inaugural participation of Japanese, Australian and Singaporean contingents—drew 4,000 US and Indonesian troops, with observers from nine other nations. Other participating nations include Canada, France, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the United Kingdom. Over the duration of the exercise, Super Garuda Shield will feature field and maritime training events to include an amphibious exercise, maritime security training, military operations in an urban terrain training, an air defense exercise, airborne operations, and an airfield seizure exercise. It also comes eight months after diplomatic sparring between Beijing and Jakarta over disputed territorial waters in the South China Sea.
