"Super Eagle Shield" Military Exercise Launched in Indonesia

According to a report by Reference News Network on September 4, the Indonesian Armed Forces launched the multinational exercise "Super Garuda Shield" in collaboration with the United States and other countries on August 31, as reported by the Nikkei website on August 31. A record 15 countries are participating in this exercise, covering all branches of the military, with a total of 4,700 personnel involved.

The exercise is reported to last from August 31 to September 11. Similar to the "Cobra Gold" joint military exercise with Thailand and the U.S., "Super Garuda Shield" is one of the largest exercises in Southeast Asia. Countries like India are participating for the first time this year.

General Agus Subiyanto, the Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces, stated at the opening ceremony held in West Java on the 31st: "We are honored to fight alongside the United States and all participating countries."

The "Super Garuda Shield" exercise began in 2007 as a bilateral army exercise between the U.S. and Indonesia. Subsequently, in response to changes in the regional security environment, the U.S. Air Force and Navy also joined the exercise. With Japan and South Korea joining in 2022, the exercise has evolved into a multilateral event.

Reports indicate that this year's exercise has introduced several modern tactical training scenarios, such as defending against drone attacks.

Some landing training exercises set in previous years will be omitted. The ongoing military conflict between the U.S. and Iran may persist for a long time, necessitating the redeployment of personnel and equipment to the Middle East, which has limited other training tasks. A viewpoint represented by military personnel from a participating country also suggests that the reduction in landing training scale is due to "U.S. reasons."

According to a report by Kyodo News on September 1, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi is expected to visit Indonesia as early as next week and hold talks with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo, with relevant arrangements already underway. Japan hopes to expedite discussions on exporting the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's "Asagiri" class frigates to the Indonesian military and strengthen defense equipment and technology cooperation.

The visit aims to deepen cooperation between Japan and Indonesia, which is increasingly influential within ASEAN. Kishi had previously visited the country twice in May and June, working to build bilateral relations.

Reports indicate that Japan is also exploring the possibility of Kishi meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo during his visit. Due to large-scale forest fires occurring locally in Indonesia, Japan has dispatched Self-Defense Forces as part of an international emergency rescue team to assist in firefighting efforts. In light of the progress of the rescue work, Kishi may visit to encourage and support the Self-Defense Forces personnel on duty.

During Kishi's visit to Indonesia in June, he reached a consensus with Prabowo and Prabowo on exploring new cooperation, covering sensitive military information such as sharing maritime situational awareness. It is expected that this meeting will continue discussions on related topics. The two sides may also discuss multilateral cooperation involving countries like Australia to further strengthen defense collaboration. (Translated by Chen Rui and Liu Lin)