US, China drills put Indonesia’s non-aligned foreign policy in focus - Asia & Pacific - The Jakarta Post

Asia & Pacific

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.

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)

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.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.