Australian and Indonesian forces deploy battle tanks in US-led combat drills amid Chinese concern

By FADLAN SYAM and NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

BANYUWANGI, Indonesia (AP) — Thousands of soldiers from the United States, Indonesia, Australia and other allied forces demonstrated their armor capabilities in combat drills on the Indonesian island of Java at a time of increased Chinese aggression in the region. Sunday’s drills come as the U.S. administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to reassure allies alarmed by Beijing’s increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea. A commanding General of the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division told The Associated Press that the introduction of armor capability in the large-scale exercises called “Super Garuda Shield,” would give the allied forces and defense partners a chance to test their weaponry in combat training.”