AUSTRALIA and Indonesian forces showed the world what they got as they deployed their respective battle tanks for the 2023 Garuda Shield Exercises in Indonesia.
Australian forces deployed five M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, and the Indonesian military sent two Leopard-2 tanks for the two-week combat exercises in a coastal district in East Java Province.
Australia has deployed the main battle tanks outside its territory for the first time since the Vietnam War between the 1950s and 1970s.
Garuda Shield Exercise started on August 31 and will end on September 13.
This year’s iteration convened more than 6,000 troops from Indonesia, Australia, Japan, the United States, and Singapore, including new participants from France and the United Kingdom.
Another 12 nations joined the drills as observers.
American and Indonesian soldiers have held annual drills since 2009.
The multinational exercise is taking place amid tensions between the US and China.
