MALINDO Exercise Draws Growing International Interest

By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Will

BANDAR LAMPUNG (Indonesia), June 25 (Bernama) -- The bilateral military exercise between Malaysia and Indonesia, MALINDO, is attracting growing international attention after Japan and several other countries expressed interest in joining future editions.

Commander of the Malaysian Army’s 1st Infantry Brigade Brig Gen Datuk Zamri Othman said the interest was expressed by foreign military representatives who attended the 12th MALINDO exercise as observers in Indonesia's Lampung Province on the southern tip of Sumatra Island.

“I’ve spoken to several observers, including those from Japan. They are keen to take part in exercises like this in the future,” he told Bernama after the event on Thursday.

The exercise, held from June 16 to 26 under the Malaysia-Indonesia General Border Committee (GBC) and the Malaysia-Indonesia Joint Training Committee (JKLB MALINDO), involved personnel from all three branches of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and their Indonesian counterparts.

Besides Japan, this year's exercise, which focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), was also observed by military representatives from the United States, Australia, Timor-Leste and Singapore.

Zamri said the MALINDO exercise is currently conducted strictly on a bilateral basis between Malaysia and Indonesia, and any proposal to include other countries would require both countries’ agreement.

“If the exercise is expanded in the future, it may have to be given a different name. However, the concept could remain largely the same as the current one,” he said.

Describing this year's exercise as a success, Zamri said it reflected the strong cooperation between the armed forces of both countries and underscored the importance of continuing the long-running bilateral engagement.

"What we have seen here is very strong cooperation between both sides, and I feel this exercise should continue in the years ahead," he said.

Zamri said Malaysia will host the next MALINDO exercise in 2029, with further details to be jointly finalised by both countries. 

A total of 154 Malaysian Armed Forces personnel from the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and Royal Malaysian Air Force participated in this year's exercise, including specialists in engineering, medical services, cyber, maritime and air operations.

In addition to field training, Zamri said the exercise featured two Engineer Civic Action Programme (ENCAP) projects jointly undertaken by Malaysian and Indonesian military personnel, involving the construction of a concrete village road and the rebuilding of two homes that were no longer fit for occupation.

The houses were demolished and rebuilt over about two weeks before being handed over to their owners during Thursday's closing ceremony.

The first MALINDO exercise was held in Kuala Lumpur in 1981.

-- BERNAMA