The ORRUDA 2024 joint exercise between Indonesian and Russian Navies is purely for the development of Indonesian navy profesionalism and does not signal a shift in the Indonesian military stance, an analyst said.
International relations professor at the Padjajaran University, Teuku Rezasyah said the joint Indonesian-Russia naval exercise will see a collaboration of both navies in terms of interoperability as well as to comprehend military discipline of both naval forces and their respecitive cultures.
“In the joint exercise, troops will learn the command system in their respective navies. Both sides need to understand each other,” Teuku Rezasyah said in an interview with Indonesia Business Post on Friday, November 8, 2024.
He said further that the exercise with the Russian navy is at the lower level than the joint military exercise with the U.S. in the context of defense diplomacy. In the Super Garuda Shield, he cited, the joint exercise involves the three forces − Army, Air Force and Navy − of Indonesia, the U.S. and other participating nations. The Super Garuda Shield also involves cooperation in land battle, jungle survival, war situation simulations as well as marine landing, intelligence operations and IT war.
“In the ORRUDA 2024, there is no such amphibious landing. It means Indonesia has had full military collaborations with the U.S. and only recently has joint exercise with Russia,” he cited.
“This fact shows that psychologically, Indonesia has closer military relations with the U.S. than to Russia. Even U.S. officers study in Indonesian military schools,” he added.
He expressed belief that in the future President Prabowo Subianto will bring Indonesia closer to the U.S. in terms of defense diplomacy.
The Indonesian Navy and the Russian Navy held a joint exercise in Indonesia on Monday, November 4, 2024, the first held ever such military exercise between both nations.
The exercise was carried out in Surabaya and off the Java Sea as part of the Joint Exercise ORRUDA 2024. Previously, the Indonesian Navy was involved in a joint regional exercise along with Russia in 2021 at the ASEAN level.
The opening ceremony for the ORRUDA 2024 was presided by Commander of the Indonesian Naval Fleet Command, Vice Admiral Denih Hendrata, together with Russian Ambassador Sergey Gennadievich Tolchenov.
Admiral Denih said the exercise aims to improve interoperability between the two navies by aligning perceptions in various tactical scenarios.
“We hope that this cooperation will strengthen military relations with Russia and support the joint mission for maritime security,” he said in a statement as quoted on Tuesday, November 5, 2024
The five-day exercise took place in two stages, namely the harbor/port phase and the sea phase. In the port phase, soldiers underwent Tactical Floor Game (TFG) exercises in Surabaya to discuss operational strategies and tactical coordination.
The 2024 ORRUDA exercise involved a number of main weapons system equipment from both forces. The Indonesian Navy deployed KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332 (KRI GNR-332), KRI Frans Kaisiepo-368 (KRI FKO-368), and the AS 565 MBE helicopter. Meanwhile, the Russian Navy brings along three corvette-class warships, namely RF Rezky, RF Gromky, and
, as well as a medium tanker, KA-27 helicopter, and a tugboat.
In addition to strengthening readiness for the sea phase, the Indonesian Navy and the Russian Navy also carried out “deck familiarization” and “ship tour” activities to get to know each other’s ships, as well as conducting Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) exercises. This exercise focuses on developing the skills of boarding teams and helicopter pilots in dealing with emergency situations at sea.
Analysts says this joint exercise is one of the initiatives of the newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto to increase military cooperation with major countries. In July, Prabowo, in his capacity as Defense Minister, visited Russia to deepen bilateral relations. In the midst of its neutral position regarding the Ukrainian conflict, Indonesia continues to foster defense cooperation with Russia as a strategic partner.
The name ORRUDA is a combination of the national symbols of the two countries, namely Orel (Russian Eagle) and Garuda (Indonesian Eagle).
