CILODONG, Indonesia -- For over a week, roughly 100 U.S. and Tentara Nasional Indonesia soldiers strove to achieve three noble goals: stabilize the fictional land of Zuba under United Nations authority, free its residents from the threat of terrorism and help return the country to its lawful government.
In reality, the troops were conducting a brigade-level command-post exercise or CPX, at the TNI-AD Kostrad 1st Division here from June 10-20. The CPX, based on a United Nations peacekeeping scenario, was part of Garuda Shield 13, the latest in a continuing series of exercises designed to strengthen military-to-military cooperation while focusing on international peace support operations.
The CPX and others like it are designed to teach command staff how to successfully plan, coordinate and synchronize command and control over military operations. Using Zuba -- a fictional country with a complex and austere environment -- helped decision makers to visualize the environment and the circumstances which need military involvement.
In addition to factional fighters in the area and smugglers and terrorists threatening citizens, those circumstances included providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief contingency planning.
Throughout the CPX, military planners used the seven-step military decision-making process, or MDMP, which helps commanders and their staffs determine the best courses of action to execute a mission.
"The exercise allowed us to increase cooperation between both US and Indonesian forces and the scenario is similar to what we could possibly see going on in the world today, said Maj. David Hansen, an Intelligence Officer assigned to the 82nd Airborne Div.
"Spending this much time together creates a bond that will hopefully last for years,"Hansen added.
The end result of the bi-lateral staff planning was a field training exercise conducted between the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division; and the TNI Angkatan Darat, 17th Airborne Brigade. Roughly 500 paratroopers conducted a series of parachute jumps and conducted infantry operations to secure buildings identified as necessary infrastructure for the fictitious scenario.
The combination of command and field training exercises was the latest in a continuing series of exercises designed by U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) to strengthen military-to-military cooperation while focusing on international peace support operations.
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