U.S. and Indonesian Paratroopers Strengthen Cooperation

June 20, 2013

This year’s Garuda Shield exercise represents the largest and most complex training exercise ever conducted in the long-standing military relationship between the United States and Indonesia. 

Over the last two weeks, soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and the Indonesian Army’s Kostrad Division 1 have participated in the annual Garuda Shield exercise which is designed to build relationships between the two armies and create familiarity through working together. 

The event includes a wide array of interoperability-focused events ranging from combined staff operations and computer-based simulation to small unit tactics training and live-fire exercises. 

The culmination activity and centerpiece of the 2013 Garuda Shield Exercise were multiple airborne operations conducted with U.S. and Indonesia paratroopers descending together onto a drop zone in the vicinity of Kostrad Division 1 Headquarters. 

This year almost 500 U.S. soldiers made the journey to Indonesia to take part in this important exercise and continue to develop our military-to-military linkages. The 2014 Garuda Shield, which is planned to be conducted with Kostrad Division 2 in Malang, will continue to enhance familiarity and introduce new areas of collaboration for our two armies to explore.

Source : U.S. Embassy Jakarta.Indonesia

http://www. usembassy.gov