Indonesian and U.S. forces integrated rocket artillery and aviation during a combined joint land strike live-fire event at Baturaja Combat Training Center Sept. 4 and 7, 2026, as part of Super Garuda Shield. The ground-fire portion brought together U.S. Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Indonesian Army ASTROS II Mk6 launchers and Indonesian Marine Corps RM-70 Vampire launchers. The aviation portion included Indonesian F-16 fighter aircraft and U.S. Army and Indonesian AH-64 Apache helicopters. Coordinating those capabilities required participants to work through differences in procedures, equipment and doctrine. The coordinating Army, Marine Corps and Indonesian capabilities required participants to align different procedures, technical requirements and doctrine. The Next Generation Command and Control technology with supporting rapid data sharing and fires synchronization. For the crews, that preparation included repeated rehearsals to identify potential problems before firing.
“Today was a great example of working together to conduct safe and responsible training,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ed Matthaidess, Army Forces commander for Super Garuda Shield, following the Sept. 4 event. “It’s a huge coalition effort, a lot of synchronization goes into that.”
“Lots of practicing, lots of run-throughs,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Madeleine Rocha, a HIMARS crew member with the Iowa Army National Guard. “We made sure that everything runs seamlessly. Working alongside other forces helped crews understand different procedures and adjust their approach as training progressed.”
“The combined joint land strike demonstrated what the United States and Indonesia can achieve when we train together,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jonathan Bowman, fires and effects coordinator for Marine Rotational Force-Darwin. “We are grateful to our Indonesian counterparts and hosts for their support and for the opportunity to learn from one another. Exercises like Super Garuda Shield strengthen the cooperation we need to operate together effectively.”
“Executing joint and multinational fires coordination is among the most demanding tasks in modern combined arms warfare,” said U.S. Army Capt. Eric Brown, a fires planner with the 4th Infantry Division.
Super Garuda Shield (formerly Garuda Shield) is a two-week multinational military exercise between the United States Armed Forces, Indonesian National Armed Forces, and multiple partner nations. The purpose of this joint exercise is to maintain peace and security, including to strengthen relationships within the Indo-Pacific region by enhancing military capabilities, interoperability, and collective commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Super Garuda Shield, the current iteration, emphasizes strengthening relationships within the Indo-Pacific region, including enhancing military capabilities, interoperability, and collective commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The exercise typically includes field training exercises, command post exercises, and humanitarian civic action projects. This joint-exercise is annually conducted since 2007 in Indonesia.
