Garuda Shield 21 is a two-week joint exercise between the United States Army and Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI-AD Indonesia Armed Forces). The purpose of this joint exercise is to enhance and enrich the jungle warfare ability of both the U.S. Army and Indonesian Army.
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Garuda Shield 21 includes 2.246 personnel from TNI AD and 2.282 personnel from the US Army. This is the biggest joint training between the US and Indonesian armies. The Garuda Shield was held in August 2021.
What analists said about the joint training?
Military observer of the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) Khairul Fahmi said the joint exercise between the TNI AD-US Army titled Garuda Shield is one concrete form of defense diplomacy.
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Indonesia is a non-aligned country. Free and active politics is a reference point in international diplomacy. The closed relationship between the Indonesian government and China is denied with the joint military training program, Garuda Shield 21.
Indonesia has important geography in Southeast Asia due to the tension in the South China Sea. The hidden agenda of the US Army is that the US Army has made an alliance with the Indonesian Armed Forces. Indonesia will also benefit from the joint training. This diplomacy will make China think twice about annexing the Natuna Islands. The Natuna Block is directly adjacent to the South China Sea.
For centuries, the South China Sea has played an important role in the economic sustainability of ASEAN countries, namely Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines. Besides that, natural resources like oil and gas could be the biggest after Mexico's Gulf.
The USA and European countries have an interest in the South China Sea. They do not want their influence to be taken over by China. HMS Queen Elizabeth, a British warship, is in the South China Sea. The presence of warships from European countries certainly did not make China happy.
If the Asean countries cannot unite, the South China Sea will become a route controlled by China. This will certainly disrupt the trade routes of Asean countries. The military power of the Asean countries can actually match the strength of China if they unite. With the support of America and Europe, Chinese power will not be able to fight statistically. It is possible that China will form an alliance with Russia. If this is the case, then military power will be balanced. Both parties will think again about conducting a confrontation.
Indonesia actually does not have much interest in the South China Sea route. Indonesia's big concern is to maintain the Natuna block which will be co-opted by China. The military exercise with America is a show of force that attacking Indonesia is the same as attacking America. Likewise, the island of Natuna can be used as an American military base in case of an emergency.
This is a personal review based on the statements of military analysts, so this article is only a chat in a coffee shop. Thank you for reading my article; I'll see you in the next post.
Source : https://www.afrid-fransisco.id/2021/08/7-alasan-tersembunyi-amerika-serikat.html
