In display of an enduring partnership, the United States and the Indonesian National Armed Forces officially kicked off the 2024 Super Garuda Shield exercise on August 26, 2024 with an opening ceremony at Indonesian military base on Juanda Naval Air Base Surabaya. Super Garuda Shield is the largest annual U.S.-Indonesia training exercise. It originated as an information and training exchange between the U.S. and Indonesia in 2006 under the name Garuda Shield. Since 2022, the exercise has expanded to include partner nations. This year, service members from the United States, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and New Zealand are participating. Twelve additional nations are observing the exercise.
As Secretary Blinken has said, “The more that countries with complementary strengths and capacities can unite to achieve shared goals, the better.”
Air Vice Marshal Widyargo Ikoputra, the Deputy Commander of Kodiklat, Tentara Nasional Indonesia said, “Super Garuda Shield in 2024 is a means to create and build mutual trust in the military sector, strengthen bilateral military-to-military relations, and multilateral relations. You may adapt, then learn and exchange the culture… so that it will give you tangible experience during your moments in [Indonesia].”
“Every aspect of this year’s iteration of Super Garuda Shield should challenge us to collectively work together and achieve our training objectives. I encourage all participants to take advantage of the excellent opportunities provided for professional and cultural exchanges … to use this opportunity to develop and grow relationships with your counterparts that will last a lifetime,” noted Chief of Staff and Commander of the Hawaii Air National Guard, Maj. Gen. Joseph R. Harris II during the opening ceremony.
According to updated figures from the U.S. Embassy Jakarta Office of Defense Cooperation, Super Garuda Shield 2024 involves approximately 5,500 combined national forces, approximately 2,500 of which are U.S. service members. The joint military exercise serves to strengthen the U.S.-Indonesia defense partnership according to the Defense Cooperation Arrangement in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including by improving the ability of participating governments to securely and automatically exchange data regardless of geographical, political, or organizational boundaries.
Service members from partnering nations will engage in various training opportunities, including airborne operations, amphibious operations, and operability information exchanges. The 2024 iteration will also include a Cyber Exercise to better prepare service members for cyber threats. The exercise begins with expert academic exchanges and professional development workshops, followed by a command-and-control exercise, a joint field training exercise and ending with a live fire event. Regular exercises and engagements with allies and partners are instrumental in cultivating civil-military cooperation, increasing emergency preparedness, and enhancing bilateral response capabilities. Since 2006, Indonesia has partnered with the Hawaii National Guard as part of the State Partnership Program, a U.S. led initiative that now includes 96 partnerships around the globe.
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