November 15 marks the 79th anniversary of the establishment of the Marine Corps of the Republic of Indonesia (Marinir), which has coincided with the largest amphibious exercise ever to take place between Indonesia and Australia – Exercise Keris Woomera.
During Keris Woomera, a contingent of Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Marines were embarked with the Australian Amphibious Force (AAF).
During the lead up to Keris Woomera, the embarked marines worked closely with their AAF counterparts in a number of key integration training areas, including close combat urban warfare, combat medical training and various other force integration elements.
Head of the TNI delegation Lieutenant Colonel Marine Empiri Airudin said the Marine Corps anniversary was an opportune time to reflect on the strong relationship between the TNI and the ADF.
“We would like to express our greatest gratitude to our fellow ADF members for this long-standing partnership,” he said.
“We are alongside you as a partner and together we can ensure peace, security and stability in the region.”
Commander of the Amphibious Task Force Captain Chris Doherty congratulated the TNI Marine Corps on the anniversary of its inception.
“The TNI Marine Corps has a long and proud history, and we have been honoured to have such a professional body of troops with us over the past couple of weeks as part of Exercise Keris Woomera,” Captain Doherty said.
“This opportunity gave us the chance to practise our roles with the marines in a complex and difficult amphibious environment, giving us both confidence in our ability to achieve various tasks in our region together.”
Third Marine Infantry Battalion Company Commander Captain Marine Adam Keulana said Keris Woomera gave his team valuable interoperability experience with their ADF counterparts.
“We are looking forward to making this relationship stronger over the years to come,” he said.
Exercise Keris Woomera, a component of Indo-Pacific Endeavour, is a combined joint amphibious activity conducted by about 2000 personnel drawn from Navy, Army and Air Force of each nation.
