US Marines join amphibious, island-recapture drills across Indonesia

U.S. troops are training to recapture islands during a 15-nation exercise that includes amphibious assaults, airborne operations and live-fire drills across Indonesia.

Approximately 5,000 personnel are taking part in Super Garuda Shield, an annual exercise that began Friday and runs through Sept. 11 at training areas across the country, according to U.S. and Japanese officials.

The exercise “aims to practice operations and combat related to joint island recapture and to improve operational capabilities and tactical skills,” the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force said in an Aug. 6 news release.

Training at Baturaja and Lampung on Sumatra and in East Kalimantan on Borneo includes airborne and amphibious operations and live-fire drills, the release said.

Marine Rotational Force-Darwin – midway through its annual deployment to Australia’s Northern Territory – sent about 230 Marines to Indonesia for the exercise, rotational force spokesman 1st Lt. Chase Fortier said by phone Friday from Sumatra.

Marines from Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment are training alongside Indonesian, Japanese and South Korean troops in Lampung, Fortier said.

The training includes reconnaissance, mortars, explosive ordnance disposal, fire support and jungle warfare before culminating in a multiday field event, he said.

At Baturaja, Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 5 are building schools, water-purification facilities and infrastructure for training ranges, Fortier said.

The rotational force also sent an air-defense element to Baturaja, where U.S. Army soldiers are scheduled to fire Stinger missiles during joint live-fire drills, he said.

Super Garuda Shield also includes naval and coast guard training and a combined field exercise, according to the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta.

Other participating countries include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, New Zealand and the Netherlands, according to the Japanese release.

Japan sent troops from its 1st Airborne and Amphibious Rapid Deployment brigades. The latter was established to rapidly deploy to remote islands and carry out amphibious operations.

This year’s exercise follows an Aug. 11 visit to Jakarta by U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, who met Indonesia Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. The two countries have agreed to expand cooperation on military modernization, operations and training.

Indonesia has typically sought to balance its relationships with major powers rather than align exclusively with either the U.S. or China.

Earlier this month, Indonesia participated with China in a navigation exercise in waters east of Taiwan.

Garuda Shield began in 2007 as a bilateral U.S.-Indonesia exercise. China and more than 20 other countries were invited to the 2009 iteration, which focused on peacekeeping, according to a U.S. Army Pacific account published that year.

The exercise became Super Garuda Shield in 2022 as it expanded into larger, multilateral training with a greater emphasis on combat.