Soldiers of 14 countries will exercise near the East Sea
The annual joint exercise “Garuda Shield” between the US and Indonesia will take place in August and a total of 14 countries participate.
Soldiers from 14 countries, including Britain, Australia and Japan, will participate in land and beach landing exercises from August 1 to 14 in Indonesia’s South Sutra archipelago in the Indian Ocean and east of the island of Borneo, near the South China Sea, the Indonesian military said today.
A US official said that about 3,000 troops would take part in the event, making it the largest exercise since “Garuda Shield” began in 2009. Exercise has not been announced.
US Army soldiers attend the opening ceremony of the joint exercise “Garuda Shield 2021” at the Indonesian Army’s Combat Training Center in Baturaja, South Sumatra province, last August. Image: Reuters.
The announcement came after a visit to Jakarta last month by US Admiral John Aquilino, the head of Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees all US military activities in the region.
The recent expansion of military cooperation signals an increase in defense ties between the US and a number of Asia-Pacific countries.
America and Western countries such as Britain, France and Virtue Recently increased military presence and freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, in the context of escalating tensions due to China’s naval expansion and the establishment of military outposts on artificial islands reclaimed from the South China Sea. permit in the area.
Ian Francis, Chief of the Office for Defense Cooperation at the US embassy in Jakarta, stressed that the expanded exercises show “the continued momentum of the Indonesian military’s capacity development and its willingness to cooperate with other countries.” partner”.
“This demonstrates that the US has a growing security cooperation relationship with Indonesia,” he said.
Vu Hoang (According to AFP)
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