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View all search resultsUS, China drills put Indonesia’s non-aligned foreign policy in focus
Indonesia may find its “free and active” foreign policy put to the test as it expands its defense diplomacy to include military drills with China, analysts suggest, just as Jakarta deploys troops in the annual Garuda Shield exercise cohosted by the United States, a rival superpower.
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An RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) of the Indonesian Marine Corps fires on Sept. 3, 2025, during the joint multinational exercise Garuda Shield 2025 at the Baturaja combat training center in Lampung. (AFP/Handout/Indonesian Military)
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ndonesia may find its “free and active” foreign policy put to the test as it expands its defense diplomacy to include military drills with China, analysts suggest, just as Jakarta deploys troops in the annual Garuda Shield exercise cohosted by the United States, a rival superpower.
The fifth iteration of Super Garuda Shield, an annual joint exercise co-hosted by Washington and Jakarta, brings nearly 5,000 soldiers from 21 countries to locations across Indonesia from Aug. 31 to Sept. 11, with participants honing skills in cyber and airborne operations and jungle and amphibious warfare.
Washington has dubbed this year’s exercise the “most extensive” to date, with six ASEAN countries taking part alongside more than a dozen countries from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, including Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.
The exercise comes as Indonesia prepares for another major military drill later this year with China, with the second Garuda Heping exercise set to take place in Sumatra between September and October.
Announced by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin during his meeting with China in late August, this year’s Garuda Heping is expected to deepen defense ties with Beijing at various levels, including among officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
The back-to-back military exercises have piqued the interest of observers and analysts alike, given the relatively infrequent military exchanges between Indonesia and China, whose ties over the past decade have largely centered on economic cooperation.
Unlike its defense ties with the US that have been built over two decades of regular and increasingly extensive exercises, Indonesia’s military partnership with China has been more limited, with the first Garuda Heping drill held only in 2024, with a focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
