SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 — Over 200 U.S. and partner-nation paratroopers parachuted into a Baturaja training area Sept. 4, 2026, beginning field training during Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2026.
The aircraft departed Gatot Subroto Airfield in Lampung, and the paratroopers landed on a drop zone in South Sumatra. The mission required participating forces to align airborne procedures, timing and communications before assembling as a joint formation on the ground.
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, conducted the airborne portion of the mission as part of a broader multinational planning effort. The battalion — based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska and known as Geronimo — routinely trains in Arctic conditions. Soldiers applied familiar airborne standards in a tropical environment while adapting to different terrain, weather and partner procedures.
“Super Garuda Shield has been an excellent opportunity for our paratroopers to show how we plan and execute operations and to observe how our international partners operate,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Billy A. Mencher, an infantry officer assigned the unit. “Sharing an aircraft with paratroopers from Japan and India made my first overseas airborne operation one to remember.”
The jump led into field training for Combined Task Force 501. The task force organized U.S. and partner-nation troops from Indonesia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada into four companies, with platoons from different nations working within the same battalion structure. French paratroopers also participated in the airborne jump.
Organizing the force this way gave junior leaders and paratroopers repeated opportunities to compare procedures, communicate across national formations and build trust through shared tasks. It also allowed the battalion to learn how partner forces plan and operate while demonstrating its approach to airborne and ground operations.
“This is pretty tough to beat, jumping a jungle drop zone in Indonesia,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dwayne Steppe, battalion commander. “Airborne operations know no borders; they know no language.”
After landing, the paratroopers moved toward an objective and transitioned into jungle training in the Baturaja Combat Training Center. For the Alaska-based Soldiers, the shift from Arctic terrain to South Sumatra tested their ability to apply common standards across climates while learning from partner forces.
Super Garuda Shield is an annual Indonesia-led exercise between the Indonesian National Armed Forces and the U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities and cooperation.
By 1st Lt. Logan Tompkins
U.S. Marine Corps