PUSLATPUR, Indonesia —
With well-rehearsed precision, Indiana Army National Guardsmen from the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team held a joint ceremony here July 30 with their Indonesian army counterparts to mark the opening of the twelfth iteration of Exercise Garuda Shield, a bilateral exercise sponsored by U.S. Army Pacific.
Garuda Shield 18 is the third exercise in USARPAC's second iteration of Pacific Pathways, a series of multinational engagements with ally and partner militaries in the Indo-Pacific region. This year also marks the first time an Army National Guard unit is participating in the series as the lead training element that will conduct a joint staff exercise with the Indonesian army.
“The opening ceremony really highlighted the importance of the bilateral training experiences that we are having as the U.S. Army with many of our coalition, NATO and allied partners around the world,” said Army Col. Robert D. Burke, commander of the 76th IBCT. “The camaraderie, the esprit de corps and just the vibrancy that we had in the opening ceremony really highlighted how great these next two weeks will be as we work through this staff exercise together.”
Exercises such as Garuda Shield contribute to peacekeeping capability in the Indo-Pacific region, which in turn fosters interoperability and competency with partner nations that strengthen…
