Some 2,200 international military forces from various countries are participating in a significant multinational military exercise in Indonesia, along with military forces deployed by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Officially named Trident Resolve 2026, the ADMM+ event will focus on improving emergency coordination and disaster preparedness between borders. Such extensive field exercise combines humanitarian assistance, military medicine, and cybersecurity in one operation to test the multination coordination mechanisms in complex emergency.
The first training exercise, which is conducted by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia in Banten, simulates big disaster events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Participants are asked to carry out an emergency response from a humanitarian perspective, administer medical assistance, and address the impact of damaged information and communications systems.
The Vietnamese delegation consists of 18 people led by Colonel Doan Van Than, Department of Search and Rescue, General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army. Vietnamese soldiers are participating in all three of the main parts of the exercises, said Colonel Than. The delegation’s lessons learned from past international search and rescue operations in Türkiye, Myanmar, Venezuela, and field hospital deployments for support of the United Nations Peacekeeping missions in South Sudan will be shared with the participants.
During the opening ceremony, Lieutenant General Rui F.G.P. Duarte, Inspector General of the Indonesian Defense Ministry, stated that the challenges in the current security have evolved into more complex and interconnected. He said that despite the immediate effects of major disasters on aviation, health and critical infrastructure, they impact other regions beyond the immediate disaster, and require collective action and thorough knowledge sharing between allied nations.
The multinational exercise not only addresses operational goals but also aims to foster shared trust and diplomatic rapport among the participating forces, as explained by representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, such as Major General Darwin Cox from the U.S. Army Pacific.
Associates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and eight dialogue partner countries, including Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea (ROK), New Zealand, Russia and the United States, will participate in the September 25-27 event of Trident Resolve 2026. In addition to the main military and disaster response trainings, joint expert groups are conducting localized community support activities. These include special medical and community development programmes which have a direct impact on the local people within the exercise area.
