New Delhi/ Shimla: On 3 December 2025, the 10th edition of the joint special forces exercise Garuda Shakti 2025 between Indian Army and Indonesian Army is slated to begin at the Special Forces Training School in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh. The drills will run until 12 December.
The exercise underscores the steadily deepening defence cooperation between India and Indonesia, aimed at bolstering specialised operational capability, interoperability, and mutual strategic trust.
Background: What is Garuda Shakti?
Garuda Shakti is a bilateral joint special forces exercise exclusively between India and Indonesia, conducted alternately in the two countries.
The first edition was held in 2012 in India, and since then, the exercise has been held periodically — both in India and Indonesia — to foster defence cooperation and operational synergy.
The participating Indian contingent typically includes elite units such as the Para Special Forces. The Indonesian side is represented by their special forces (for example, Kopassus).
The core objectives of Garuda Shakti include enhancing interoperability, sharing best practices in special operations, counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency tactics, and strengthening bilateral military cooperation.
Importance of Garuda Shakti 2025
1. Strategic Timing & Growing Defence Ties: The 2025 iteration comes on the heels of a recent visit by Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to India. During the third India-Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation — spanning defence industry partnerships, military engagements, and a shared vision for a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
The exercise is therefore not just a routine military drill, but a concrete demonstration of mutual intent to enhance defence collaboration at multiple levels: operational, strategic and industrial.
2. Expanding Scope — Adaptation to New Threat Environments: The 2025 drills are said to be more comprehensive and adapted to modern threats and terrain challenges.
The training syllabus includes:
- Counter-terrorism drills
- Heliborne insertion missions
- Combat shooting
- Employment of drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) tactics
Planning for surgical strikes in semi-mountainous terrain — particularly relevant to Himalayan and Himalayan-fringe security environments.
This expansion reflects the evolving nature of security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, including asymmetric warfare, drone threats, and the need for high-mobility operations in difficult terrain.
3. Reinforcing Regional Security Architecture: In the context of growing geopolitical flux in the Indo-Pacific — with shifting power balances, maritime tensions, and non-traditional security challenges — joint exercises such as Garuda Shakti send a strong message of collective readiness and coordination.
Through sustained cooperation, India and Indonesia are working toward a shared vision of regional stability, aligned with frameworks like the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and initiatives under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
Also, there is mention of setting up a Joint Defence Industry Cooperation Committee for technology transfer, joint R&D, harmonising certifications, and supply-chain linkages — pointing to long-term defence-industrial collaboration beyond just periodic drills.
About Previous Editions of Garuda Shakti
The 9th edition in 2024 was held in Indonesia (Cijantung, Jakarta) and concluded on 12 November. The Indian contingent included troops from Para Special Forces, while the Indonesian side was represented by their special forces. The drills covered jungle terrain operations, underwater operations and close-quarter combat.
Previous exercises have seen exchange of tactics, weapons handling procedures, close-quarter battle drills, counter-terrorism training, and sharing of operational doctrines, thereby improving mutual familiarity and trust.
Garuda Shakti, therefore, has evolved from initial training exchanges into a comprehensive, high-intensity joint special operations exercise — adapting with changing operational requirements.
Significance of Garuda Shakti 2025 — From Tactical Exchange to Strategic Partnership
While the immediate goals of Garuda Shakti are tactical — improving interoperability, exchanging best practices, honing special operations skills — the long-term significance is strategic and multidimensional:
Defence Diplomacy & Trust Building: Regular drills foster confidence, reduce misunderstandings, and build mutual respect between armies, serving as a pillar of bilateral relations.
Operational Readiness & Regional Security: With shared training in counter-terrorism, drone and counter-drone operations, heliborne missions and surgical strikes — both forces are better prepared to respond to security crises, especially in rough terrains or complex environments.
Defence Industrial Collaboration: The 2025 edition signals a push toward institutionalised defence-industry cooperation. Joint R&D, technology transfers, certification harmonization, and supply-chain integration can lead to co-development of equipment, logistics synergy, and mutual self-reliance — a significant shift beyond mere training cooperation.
Signal to the Indo-Pacific Region: Amid evolving regional dynamics, the exercise underlines India-Indonesia’s commitment to a stable, rules-based order, echoing shared values of sovereignty, freedom of navigation, and regional stability.
Key Challenges and Considerations
However, translating joint drills into long-term strategic gains entails some caveats:
Resource & Logistical Constraints: Conducting sophisticated special forces drills involving drones, C-UAS, heliborne missions and surgical-strike planning requires significant investments — in training infrastructure, logistics, maintenance and doctrine alignment. Sustaining such high-intensity cooperation demands commitment from both sides.
Balancing Operational Security & Transparency: While sharing tactics and procedures enhances cooperation, it also involves sharing sensitive operational know-how. Balancing transparency with safeguarding classified capabilities is imperative.
Maintaining Strategic Autonomy: As defense-industrial collaboration deepens, both countries must ensure that cooperation remains balanced and preserves their strategic autonomy — carefully navigating export controls, technology transfers, and national security regulations.
Adapting to Evolving Threats: The security environment will continue to evolve — cyber threats, hybrid warfare, drones & unmanned systems, non-state actors — requiring continuous adaptation in training, doctrine, and resource allocation.
What to Watch For During Garuda Shakti 2025
- The conduct of drone and counter-UAS operations — reflecting modern warfare trends and rising drone threats.
- Heliborne and surgical-strike planning in semi-mountainous terrain — particularly relevant to Himalayan border security.
- Any official declarations or MoUs on defence-industrial cooperation, technology transfer, or joint R&D — which might shape future India-Indonesia defence collaboration.
- Post-exercise statements by Indian or Indonesian military leadership or defence ministries — indicating how lessons learned may translate into policy or operational changes.
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