New Delhi. Special forces of India and Indonesia will jointly practice counter-terrorism operations and counter-insurgency strategies in the forests. For this, a team of special forces of the Indian Army has left for Banyuwangi, Indonesia. This contingent will participate in the 12th edition of the joint military exercise ‘Garuda Shakti 2026’ to be held between the two countries.
The main objective of this exercise is to strengthen mutual coordination and the ability to conduct joint operations between the special forces of both the countries. Under this, Indian and Indonesian soldiers will exchange strategies, techniques and procedures related to special operations.
According to the Army, the exercise will focus on dealing with anti-terrorism and anti-insurgency situations in challenging jungle areas. Conducting military operations in forests is a challenging task for special forces. Dense vegetation, difficult terrain and limited visibility can make it difficult for troops to move forward, monitor the situation and maintain communication during operations. Training in such an environment gives soldiers the opportunity to improve their tactics and procedures in difficult situations.
Exercise Garuda Shakti has been instrumental in strengthening the defense cooperation between the armies of India and Indonesia. During this, soldiers of both the countries get an opportunity to understand each other’s operational experience and procedures. This helps in establishing better coordination during joint operations. The 12th edition of the exercise focuses on furthering professional cooperation and mutual understanding between the special forces of the two countries.
Through this, India and Indonesia will not only share the experience of their military capabilities but will also strengthen their preparedness to jointly face challenges related to regional security.
It is noteworthy that recently, Army-to-Army staff talks were also held between India and Indonesia. The objective of this military talk between India and Indonesia was to further strengthen defense cooperation. Here both the countries agreed to identify new areas of defense cooperation and take forward the existing cooperation. Both sides have agreed to expand the scope of bilateral defense cooperation and joint training.
In this talks held in India, the Indian Army delegation discussed various defense and military issues with the Indonesian Army TNI-AD delegation. The Indonesian delegation was led by Brigadier General Ari Prasatya, VACOS Intelligence.