Indian paratroopers train with US, Japan, France in major Indo-Pacific war games

Indian troops along with soldiers from 20 other nations are taking part in one of Indo-Pacific's largest multinational military exercises in terms of countries involved The wargames called Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2026, is nearing its end in the Indonesian archipelago, according to local media. Running from August 31 to September 11, the annual exercise has brought together 4,743 personnel who working through 12 separate training modules at multiple sites across the island chain.India's contribution has come in the form of 40 paratroopers as per reports from Indonesia. The report also mentions that Indian soldiers along with American, New Zealand and Indonesian troops participated in a joint "Special Operation Forces (SOF) Flat Range Advance Shooting" drill at the Indonesian Army's Combat Training Center in Martapura, South Sumatra. In all, 270 personnel took part in this active firing event along with 110 Indonesian troops, 80 American troops, 45 from New Zealand and 40 Indian soldiers, running through advanced live-fire drills designed to sharpen marksmanship, combat effectiveness and coordination in joint operational scenarios. The exercise wrapped up without incident.Beyond the shooting range, Indian troops also featured in the exercise's airborne segment. Indian paratroopers joined their Indonesian, American, Japanese and French counterparts in a static-line parachute exercise in which jumps were conducted from low altitudes of 1,200 feet over the Baturaja landing area in South Sumatra, one of several joint training activities designed to test how well partner militaries can operate together on short notice, as per Jakarta.Indonesian Armed Forces Commander General Agus Subiyanto said the broader exercise is meant to test operational readiness, deepen defence diplomacy and sharpen partner militaries' ability to respond to emerging security challenges, a description that captures just how far Super Garuda Shield has grown beyond a routine bilateral drill. Besides India, Indonesia and the US, participating nations this year include Australia, Japan, France, UK, Canada, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and several other regional and partner countries, as per Indonesian media.For India, the exercise fits into a much bigger picture of strengthening ties with Indonesia under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Jakarta has recently procured India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and become the first export customer for the Astra air-to-air missile, both signs of how far the defence relationship between the two countries has come. New Delhi and Jakarta also increasingly see eye to eye on maritime security and freedom of navigation across the Indo-Pacific, particularly around the strategically vital Malacca Strait. Multinational exercises like Super Garuda Shield continue to give India and its regional partners a working platform to build on that cooperation, one live-fire drill and parachute jump at a time.