The U.S. Army and the National Indonesian Armed Forces, along with allies, coordinated a complex airborne assault mission into South Sumatra for the first time as part of Super Garuda Shield. A battalion from the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska conducted the operation among various others throughout Indonesia, including Java. Previous iterations focused on one area at a time, but this year’s exercise expanded to test joint command and control.
The exercise saw increased participation, with over 2,500 U.S. participants and doubled partner nation involvement. Eight full participating nations joined, while twelve others provided observers. The Air Force and 25th ID contributed assets to form a combined Aviation Task Force for logistical support. A Combined Task Force Operations Center aimed to build interoperable command and control.
Participants tested logistics capabilities, communications infrastructure, and asset coordination. A joint strike exercise in Java involved various military assets from different nations. An amphibious assault was conducted by the Marine Corps, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore using different platforms. The culminating event involved a combined arms live fire operation.
Garuda Shield is part of the Army’s Operation Pathways series in the Indo-Pacific, focused on increasing readiness and interoperability. This exercise ensures that countries in the region can come together to conduct complex operations seamlessly in various scenarios. Williams emphasized the importance of realistic training for land forces in the Indo-Pacific region.
