Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and United States Army special forces personnel completed a joint airborne assault exercise on Tuesday (September 1) at Gatot Subroto Air Force Base in Lampung, as part of the Super Garuda Shield (SGS) 2026 multinational military drills.
Head of the TNI Information Center Major General Muhammad Nas said the high-altitude free-fall exercise aimed to strengthen soldiers’ operational combat readiness while demonstrating defense diplomacy.
“This activity demonstrates the TNI’s commitment to defense diplomacy and multinational military cooperation,” Nas said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The airborne insertion involved 13 operators drawn from the TNI’s elite units—including the Army’s Special Forces Command (Kopassus), the Navy’s Taifib amphibious reconnaissance unit, and the Air Force’s Rapid Response Force (Korpasgat)—alongside US Army Special Forces.
During the drill, personnel conducted free-fall jumps onto target zones and immediately carried out simulated sabotage on mock enemy installations.
Nas confirmed that the operation was executed safely in accordance with established safety standards.
TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto announced earlier that Super Garuda Shield 2026 runs from August 31 to September 11 across multiple locations, including Jakarta, Bandung, Lampung, South Sumatra, and North Kalimantan.
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This year’s iteration features 4,743 defense personnel from 21 nations—including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Brazil, India, South Korea, and several ASEAN partners—covering 12 distinct operational domains.
Subiyanto highlighted that the 2026 exercises place special emphasis on cyber defense capabilities to support the TNI’s newly established cyber unit, alongside expanding Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) training in North Kalimantan.
“The primary objective is defense diplomacy and capability exchange,” General Subiyanto said.
The cross-training with seasoned partner militaries is also expected to accelerate local force modernization while bolstering stability across the Indo-Pacific region.
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Translator: Walda Marison, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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