US and Indonesia co-chair largest ADMM-Plus exercise in a decade, with 2,200 personnel from 19 countries

Banten, Indonesia — About 2,200 personnel from the militaries of all 19 ADMM-Plus countries and civilian agencies are taking part in Exercise Trident Resolve (XTR) from 20 to 26 September, a multinational drill hosted across seven sites on land and at sea to test large-scale disaster response.

XTR is the first ADMM-Plus Combined Field Training Exercise to bring together three Experts’ Working Groups — Cyber Security (CS), Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and Military Medicine (MM) — and is the largest ADMM-Plus exercise in a decade by personnel participation.

Scenarios span search and rescue; medical evacuation and treatment; chemical, biological and radiological response; and infrastructure repair. At sea, Indonesia’s hospital ship KRI dr. Soeharso and Singapore’s Landing Ship Tank RSS Endeavour, equipped with a Rapidly Deployable Maritime Container offering surgical capabilities, will augment shore-based medical facilities to treat simulated casualties.

The exercise also marks the first field training event for the ADMM-Plus Cyber Security working group, with activities focused on safeguarding information systems and ensuring information integrity against disruption or compromise during a multinational disaster response.

Participating forces and civilian agencies will support local communities in Banten through selected medical, public health and infrastructure activities led by Indonesian authorities and local partners.

On 22 September, ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting leaders and senior defense officials observed exercise activities. Lieutenant General Rui F.G.P. Duarte, Inspector General of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia, said, “Exercise Trident Resolve represents an important milestone in practical cooperation between the ASEAN and Plus countries, under the ADMM-Plus framework. Beyond it’s operational objectives, this exercise also strengthens trust and friendship amongst participating countries.”

XTR is hosted by Indonesia and jointly organized by the co-chairs of the three ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Groups: Australia and Cambodia for Cyber Security, Singapore and New Zealand for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, and Indonesia and the United States for Military Medicine. Established in 2010, the ADMM-Plus remains the region’s principal platform for practical defense cooperation among its member countries.