U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Indonesia -- Service members from Indonesia and the United States, joined this year by those from Australia, Japan, and Singapore, will participate in exercise Garuda Shield 2022 from August 1 to 14, 2022, at Baturaja Training Area, Amborawang, and Batam Island Training Area in Indonesia.
Garuda Shield is an annual combined and joint exercise between the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), designed to strengthen interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. The 2022 Garuda Shield exercise will be significantly larger in scope and scale than previous exercises, with many nations participating or observing for the first time. In addition to countries actively participating, Canada, France, India, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and the United Kingdom, are expected to join as observer nations.
“I’m proud to see how Garuda Shield has grown since last year – expanding this summer to a joint, multinational exercise that includes all of our service components,” said Gen. Charles Flynn, Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific. “It’s a symbol of the U.S.-Indonesia bond and the growing relationship between land forces in this consequential region… because land forces are the glue that binds the region’s security architecture together. We do that together by building readiness, building relationships, and by building trust. Bringing our forces together like this, we stitch the fabric of regional security into something lasting.”
The Garuda Shield 2022 exercise, involving approximately 2,000 U.S. troops, 2,000 Indonesian Army soldiers, and additional participants from partner nations, will enhance combined interoperability capabilities through training and cultural exchange. The exercise strengthens the U.S.-Indonesia Strategic Partnership and advances regional cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The exercise will feature professional and cultural exchanges that strengthen the U.S.-Indonesia partnership through shared learning and training. Trainings, academic exchanges, and professional development workshops focused on the corps-level and below will focus on areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as combating conventional, unconventional and hybrid threats.
A command post exercise (CPX) will focus on U.N. peacekeeping operation staff tasks in a combined military setting. A field training exercise (FTX) will involve company-strength elements from each nation exercising combined, fundamental war-fighting skills to enhance interoperability and combined operational capacity.
Questions regarding Garuda Shield 2022 should be directed to U.S. Army 7th Infantry Division Public Affairs Officer, Lt. Col. Travis Dettmer at travis.p.dettmer.mil@army.mil and SFC Marcus Butler at marcus.e.butler.mil@army.mil.