The expansion of the exercises comes at a time when tensions in the region are simmering, with analysts saying the move signals that Indonesia has moved closer to the United States than China to military cooperation. Last year’s Garuda Shield included two U.S. Army divisions – about 1,000 soldiers – as well as their Indonesian counterparts in what the U.S. Army said was the largest version of the fighting to date. “The two-week Joint Garuda Shield exercise continues to consolidate the Greater US-Indonesia Defense Cooperation and promote cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the U.S. military said in a statement before the exercises. year. Indonesia did not give an estimate of how many troops from each of the 14 countries would participate in this year’s Garuda Shield. The U.S. military and the U.S. embassy in Jakarta have not commented directly on the drills.
Disputes in the South China Sea
Indonesia is located at the southern tip of the South China Sea, which has been the scene of military activity in recent years, as China has militarized disputed islands there and the United States and its partners have disputed the allegations. A Global Times tabloid has accused US Admiral John Aquilino, the head of the US Indo-Pacific Administration, of trying to copy Ukraine’s crisis in Asia-Pacific by bringing together allies, partners and other countries in the region to confront China. The Global Times comments came after Aquilino led reporters to a flight over the South China Sea to highlight the militarization of the disputed islands by Beijing. Analysts say Indonesia has long sought to avoid taking sides in the US-China dispute in the South China Sea. However, they note that last year Beijing was able to advance its claims near the Natuna Islands in an area within Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone but also within China’s “nine-line”, according to which Beijing claims control over almost the entire South China Sea.Syn. Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, commander of North Jakarta’s military district and a lecturer at Indonesia Defense University, said China’s current behavior increases the risk of conflict in the region as nations strengthen their military presence, including around the Natuna Islands. But do not expect Jakarta to invite Beijing directly, said Collin Koh, a researcher at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. Indonesia “may avoid loudspeaker diplomacy and direct confrontation with China over South China Sea issues, but will take action that discreetly signals to Beijing – and within the public – its desire to protect its national interests. said Koh. He described the escalation of the Garuda Shield war as “particularly remarkable”, as “Indonesia is always vigilant about the sensitivities surrounding the South China Sea” and its ties to the United States and China. “Indonesia clearly wants to take on an external balance in the South China Sea, using it as a platform to showcase its stature and influence in multilateral defense diplomacy,” Koh said. Frega noted that Indonesia and China once conducted joint military exercises called the “Sharp Knife”, but the last repetition of these was in 2014. Now, he said, in terms of military cooperation, Indonesia is clearly closer to the US than to China. Frega also said that Indonesia has long had close military ties with Japan and Australia, so their inclusion in Garuda Shield 2022 should come as no surprise. However, he said, because Japan and Australia, like the United States, have been highly critical of China’s actions in the South China Sea, news of the August exercises is expected to be “uncomfortable” in Beijing.
