US, Indonesia, Australia hold drills amid China concerns

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By FADLAN SYAM and NINIEK KARMINI

BATURAJA, Indonesia (AP) — Soldiers from the U.S., Indonesia and Australia joined a live-fire drill on Friday, part of annual joint combat exercises on Sumatra island amid growing Chinese maritime activity in the Indo-Pacific region.

A total of more than 5,000 personnel from the U.S., Indonesia, Australia, Japan and Singapore are participating in this year’s Super Garuda Shield exercises, making them the largest since they began in 2009.

The expanded drills are seen by China as a threat. Chinese state media have accused the U.S. of building an Indo-Pacific alliance similar to NATO to limit China’s growing military and diplomatic influence in the region.

The United Kingdom, Canada, France, India, Malaysia, South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and East Timor also sent observers to the exercises, which began early this month.



U.S. and Indonesian soldiers take their positions during Super Garuda Shield 2022 joint military exercises in Baturaja, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. The United States and Indonesian militaries conducted the annual combat exercises on Indonesia's Sumatra island, joined for the first time by participants from other partner nations including Australia, Japan and Singapore, signaling stronger ties amid growing maritime activity by China in the Indo-Pacific region. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/nato-china-australia-singapore-973a838b4fa0e8d6d86238684318b033

[Alexander Of Assyria]

1. So the West can hold military drills, totally harmless... if anyone else...it's a threat!??

Growing marine activity by China…what does that even mean? No mention that all said marine activity is perfectly legal, just like all the West marine activity…again whatever that means.

Only the West should have a powerful military, obviously!

It’s all done to convince us all to pour more of OUR money into military expenses….again and again, same thing.

[llashram]

3. and...

[MarineCombatEngineer]

4. Maritime, not marine,

as in Naval activity.

Interesting how you don't address China's growing aggression against its neighbors, especially Taiwan and it's attempt to claim the S. China Sea as their own by building military islands to deny free passage of commerce free transit of other countries ships.

[BlueWavePsych]

2. Nice to see Indonesia as 'part of QUAD'