Indonesia and the United States on Monday began two weeks of annual military exercises involving more than 4,500 personnel, aimed at boosting operational skills as Washington seeks to shore-up ties in a region where China is vying for influence, APA reports citing Reuters.
Super Garuda Shield, which has been held since 2006, will include simulations like land and air operations, combat search and rescue and exercises in engineering and cargo delivery.
The drills are taking place in Sidoarjo, East Java province, and also include troops from Australia, Japan, Britain, France and New Zealand. They will be observed by Malaysia, the Philippines and East Timor, said Rudy Hernawan, spokesperson of the Indonesian military.
The programme will include a joint exercise against cyber threats, which Indonesia has experienced several times in the past few years, including a cyberattack in June that disrupted multiple government services including immigration and operations of major airports.
Indonesia said the drills would benefit all countries.
"The joint exercise is a way to build trust, as well as to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relations," said military official Widyargo Ikoputra.
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