ADF and TNI ‘one big family’

There’s a term Indonesian Army personnel like to use to describe their strength in unity, thinking and action – Keluarga Besar meaning ‘one big family’.

Following an important shift in the latest iteration of Exercise Wirra Jaya, the Australian Army was formally welcomed into their keluarga, cementing the already deep trust and relationship forged over the past decade.

On Exercise Wirra Jaya 26, held at Semarang in Indonesia’s Central Java province from September 18 to October 9, troops from the ADF and TNI conducted individual training specifically designed to mutually support strategic and operational objectives in the region.

Previously the exercise involved combined company-level collective training and ran as a regular bilateral engagement. This year, training courses were chosen to meet specific operational needs, including combat first aid, tactical casualty care, shooting, self-defence and drone operations.

The 5/7RAR-led courses were delivered for participants to achieve formal qualification as well as improving interoperability in tactics and techniques.

OC of the contingent MAJ Jarred Dekuyer said Wirra Jaya was quite different this time around.

“We haven’t before delivered courses as a deliberate outcome of the exercise, and so hopefully it’ll be a model going forward where both the TNI and ADF gain mutual training and qualifications to meet our force-generation requirements,” MAJ Dekuyer said.

“One of the advantages of an exercise like this – spending this much time together, delivering courses to both Australian and TNI students at the same time – you start to see the bonds of friendship and trust really build.

“I think that’s going to be really important going forward. It’ll establish that trust and a baseline if we are called to work together in the future.”

Army attaché – Jakarta COL David Gandy said Wirra Jaya had been the capstone activity since 2013 for what was a strategically important relationship.

He said the training exercise was given greater gravitas after the signing of the Jakarta Treaty earlier this year, which called for greater engagement to take mutual security, trust and partnership to a new level.

“It [the treaty] was about open dialogue if something occurs,” COL Gandy said.

“That open and transparent dialogue led to the evolution of Wirra Jaya where the TNI come to us and say, ‘We need help on some of our operational deployments’.”

The exercise was supported by elements of 9 Regt RAA, 2 Health Bde as well as RAAF and RAN linguists.

See more images from Exercise Wirra Jaya.