Exercise Garuda Shakti 2026: 11th India-Indonesia Special Forces Drill Begins at Banyuwangi

What happened

The 11th edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Special Forces Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI began at Banyuwangi, Indonesia, on 27 October 2026, the Ministry of Defence said in a PIB release that day. The exercise runs until 6 November 2026.

India is represented by troops of The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces). The Indonesian contingent is drawn from the Indonesian Special Forces.

Background

Garuda Shakti is the bilateral exercise between the special forces of the two armies. The 10th edition was held at the Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh, from 3 to 12 December 2025 (PIB, 4 December 2025). That edition centred on counter-terrorism tactics, and included sniping, heliborne operations and planning for drone, counter-drone (counter-UAS) and loiter-munition strikes in semi-mountainous terrain. The 2026 edition moves the focus to jungle terrain.

The exercise sits within a wider relationship. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) brief on India-Indonesia relations (as on 17 June 2026):

• The two countries share close cultural and commercial contacts going back about two millennia, and marked 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2024.
• Ties expanded under India's Look East Policy (1991), upgraded to Act East in 2014.
• The relationship became a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during PM Narendra Modi's visit to Jakarta in 2018.
• MEA calls India and Indonesia maritime neighbours. Defence relations date to 1951; a defence cooperation agreement was signed in 2001 and renewed in 2006, and a Defence Cooperation MoU was signed in 2018.
• President Prabowo Subianto made a State Visit to India from 23 to 26 January 2025 and was Chief Guest at Republic Day.

Key details

What the troops will practise

• Special operations tactics, techniques and procedures for a jungle environment.
• Obstacle crossing, combat marksmanship and mountaineering.
• Air assault training and combat-hardening sessions.
• Exchange of expertise and information on weapons, equipment and operational practices.
• A final validation exercise that simulates realistic operational scenarios to test endurance, coordination and combat readiness.

Other India-Indonesia exercises (MEA brief)

Among India-Indonesia defence cooperation activities, MEA lists the coordinated naval patrol IND-INDO CORPAT, the bilateral naval exercise Samudra Shakti, Ex Elang Shakti, the multilateral naval exercises Komodo and Milan, and Ex Super Garuda Shield 2025. The 5th Samudra Shakti was hosted by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam from 14 to 17 October 2025, with INS Kavaratti and Indonesia's KRI John Lie (PIB, 15 October 2025).

Why it matters

• Special forces readiness. Jungle and mountain skills, air assault and a scenario-based validation phase build the ability of both sides to work together in difficult terrain, which is the stated aim of interoperability.
• Act East in practice. Indonesia is an ASEAN member and, in MEA's words, a maritime neighbour. Regular army, navy and special forces exercises give the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership a concrete defence content.
• Maritime and Indo-Pacific link. MEA's brief refers to the Shared Vision on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific between India and Indonesia, and lists maritime mechanisms such as CORPAT and Andaman-Aceh connectivity.
• Economic weight. MEA describes Indonesia as India's second-largest trading partner in the ASEAN region, with bilateral trade of US$ 28.16 billion in 2024-25.
• Continuity. The 10th edition was held in India in December 2025 and the 11th is being held in Indonesia less than a year later.

Issues and criticism

• Trade has softened. MEA data show bilateral trade fell from US$ 38.84 billion in 2022-23 to US$ 28.16 billion in 2024-25, even as defence engagement has continued.
• Limited public detail. The PIB release does not give troop numbers or measurable outcomes, which makes it hard for outside observers to judge what each edition achieves beyond the stated aims.
• Exercises are not the whole picture. Drills build trust, but the depth of a defence partnership also depends on areas MEA lists separately, such as defence industry links and maritime connectivity.

Way forward

• Keep the annual rhythm of Garuda Shakti and Samudra Shakti and widen the scenarios covered, building on the drone and counter-drone planning seen in 2025.
• Use dialogues such as the Defence Ministers' Dialogue to turn the 2018 Defence Cooperation MoU into joint projects, including defence industry cooperation.
• Expand maritime work under the Shared Vision on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and CORPAT.
• Restore trade momentum so that the economic leg of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership keeps pace with defence ties.

Test yourself on more defence and diplomacy news with our weekly current affairs quiz, and see the UPSC Prelims practice tests.

Prelims pointers

• Garuda Shakti is the India-Indonesia Joint Special Forces Exercise; the 2026 edition is the 11th.
• Venue of the 11th edition: Banyuwangi, Indonesia; dates 27 October to 6 November 2026.
• India's contingent: The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces).
• The 10th edition was at Special Forces Training School, Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh (3–12 December 2025).
• Samudra Shakti is the India-Indonesia bilateral naval exercise; its 5th edition was at Visakhapatnam in October 2025.
• India and Indonesia became Comprehensive Strategic Partners in 2018.
• India's Look East Policy (1991) became Act East in 2014.
• Indonesia is India's second-largest trading partner in ASEAN.

One-liners for SSC, Banking and Railways

• Garuda Shakti 2026 (11th edition) venue: Banyuwangi, Indonesia.
• Garuda Shakti is between: India and Indonesia (special forces).
• Indian unit in Garuda Shakti 2026: The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces).
• India-Indonesia naval exercise: Samudra Shakti.
• India-Indonesia trade in 2024-25 (MEA): US$ 28.16 billion.

Mains practice question

Q. "Defence cooperation has become a key pillar of the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership." Discuss with reference to recent joint exercises. (150 words)

Points to cover:

1. Exercises across services: Garuda Shakti (special forces, 11th edition at Banyuwangi, 2026), Samudra Shakti (navy), IND-INDO CORPAT and multilateral drills.
2. Institutional base: defence relations since 1951, 2001 agreement renewed in 2006, 2018 Defence Cooperation MoU and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
3. Strategic context: Act East Policy, maritime neighbours, Shared Vision on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
4. Gaps and way forward: softer trade since 2022-23, defence industry links, maritime connectivity.