Diggers and Indonesians bond on jungle training

Rain drummed steadily on the corrugated iron barracks at Tully’s Jungle Training Wing (JTW) as Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) officers and their Australian Army instructors were roused from their sleep for one final test.

After days spent navigating close terrain, delivering instruction in small teams, and honing their jungle warfighting skills, participants faced True Grit, which combines an obstacle course, stretcher carry and bayonet course into a gruelling assessment of teamwork, determination and resilience.

True Grit marks the culmination of Junior Officer Combat Instructor Training (JOCIT), the longest-running bilateral military exercise between Australia and Indonesia.

Conducted annually since the early 1980s, JOCIT has strengthened instructor capability, enhanced jungle warfighting proficiency, improved interoperability and forged enduring professional relationships between the two armies.

In April, Australian personnel travelled to Indonesia to train Indonesian personnel, the top 30 of whom were selected to attend additional training in Australia last month.

The two-week Australian iteration of JOCIT included a phase at Lavarack Barracks focusing on weapon proficiency, scored fitness testing and WTSS shoots, as well as drone operations.

The final component, based at the Jungle Training Wing, focused on jungle and instructional skills, including section and platoon operations, ambushes, as well as planning and delivering orders – all culminating in a full mission profile and True Grit.

OC JTW Maj Chris Wetherell said JOCIT was originally proposed as an idea to support the Indonesians, who had identified the need to develop their instruction.

“The scale at which the TNI-AD works really dwarfs us by comparison,” Maj Wetherell said.

“They are used to working at the divisional level. The main theme of what the event is supposed to focus around is instructional methods, for example how we provide instruction to small teams.”

Despite JOCIT’s focus on developing Indonesian instructor capability, Australian Army participants, including some of the JTW’s most experienced WOs, said they learned just as much from their Indonesian counterparts.

One example was during a defensive position activity when the section ran out of hoochie cord.

Indonesian soldiers constructed part of their perimeter using vines cut directly from the surrounding jungle.

Capt Jack McAntee is an infantry officer serving as a seconded instructor at the Indonesian Military Academy who attended JOCIT as an instructor and translator.

While Australian soldiers train to survive and fight in the jungle, Capt McAntee said the Indonesians brought a level of familiarity that only came from living and operating in such environments year-round.

“The Indonesians live in the jungle. That’s their thing,” he said.

“We’re passing through, whereas they’re extremely comfortable living and operating in that environment.”

Australian instructors stressed there were far more similarities than differences in how the two armies operated.

“Obviously there’s some minor nuances between the countries and some cultural differences, but nothing major or worth noting,” said Capt Brett Harmsworth, 2IC JTW.

Indonesian Capt of Infantry Boy Prakosa Hadi agreed.

“I found it interesting that the tactics and techniques we use are very similar. And the way we give orders is practically the same. You just need to translate it,” Capt Boy said.

Although Tully is one of Australia’s wettest environments, its close terrain differs from Indonesia, requiring Indonesian officers to adapt to a different set of environmental and physiological challenges.

“In Indonesia we also work in rugged terrain and hot and humid environments but the vegetation in Tully is very different,” Capt Boy said.

“For instance, there are many species of thorns that impede movement through the jungle. But we received expert instruction on how to navigate this environment from our Australian friends and overcame this together.”  

For the Australians, perhaps one of the biggest learning curves from JOCIT was navigating the language barrier.

“The TNI-AD have a relatively good level of English, but not everyone is fully fluent,” Capt Harmsworth said.

“So when we are conducting lessons we say it in English, addressing to the group and then it’s translated to Indonesian by one of the interpreters.”

For many participants, the most physically demanding component of JOCIT was also the most rewarding, with both Australian and Indonesian officers naming True Grit as their favourite activity.

“From True Grit I learnt that PT can also be fun. It’s not just push-ups, and I will definitely implement this kind of training when I go back to Indonesia,” Capt Boy said.

Capt McAntee said one of his highlights of True Grit was watching the determination shown by the Indonesians in his training team.

“Our training team, the Hunters, won, and I was really proud of them and the effort they put in,” he said.

“At every obstacle, they refused to accept penalties and move on. Their attitude was, ‘we’re going to do this together’. They worked through every challenge and completed every obstacle as a team.

“They supported each other from start to finish. It was inspiring to see.”

Capt McAntee said exercises such as JOCIT, and others run by JTW, played a vital role in developing and maintaining the Australian Army’s jungle warfighting capability.

“Much of the region to Australia’s north is predominantly jungle,” Capt McAntee said.

He said working with Indonesian and other South-East Asian partners would not only improve Australia’s jungle warfighting capacity, but also contribute to the development of its littoral manoeuvre capabilities.

Ultimately though, Capt McAntee said the most valuable outcome of JOCIT was the opportunity to strengthen professional relationships between the Australian and Indonesian armies.

“Indonesia is one of our most important international partners,” he said.

“Exercises like JOCIT are vital because they allow us to engage with one another on a personal level.

“We gain a better understanding of each other’s cultures, perspectives and military practices, while developing trust and professional relationships. In doing so, we’re becoming better ambassadors for our respective countries and their interests.”

Capt Boy agreed.

“We are neighbouring countries and we share similar threats, so it’s good for Indonesia and Australia to maintain this good relationship,” he said.