Hawaii National Guard Strengthens Ties with Indonesia During Super Garuda Shield 25
Posted on Sep 29, 2025 in 2020's, History
The Hawaii National Guard played a key role in Super Garuda Shield 25, the largest bilateral exercise between Indonesia and the United States and one of the Indo-Pacific’s most significant multinational training events. Held August 25 to September 4, 2025, the exercise brought together about 6,500 service members from 13 nations. Designed to strengthen defense cooperation, Super Garuda Shield 25 featured a Joint Staff Exercise (STAFFEX), Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX), Engineering Civic Action Program project (ENCAP), medical exercise (MEDEX), small-unit and urban operations training (MOUT), subject-matter expert exchanges, and a cultural day. Training took place across multiple locations in Indonesia, including the Indonesian Navy’s training facility in Jakarta, which hosted the STAFFEX.
Hawaii National Guard’s contributions to Super Garuda Shield 25 were multi-faceted. On the U.S. side, it served as the main training audience for STAFFEX and as the primary planners and executors of CYBEREX. The Hawaii National Guard’s Mayor Cell also provided logistical and medical support for STAFFEX and CYBEREX participants, ensuring smooth coordination throughout the exercise.
Colonel Brandon Torres, the Hawaii Army National Guard’s joint staff intelligence officer (J2), served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. delegation during the STAFFEX. He described the event as critical for advancing multinational planning and decision-making. “The significance of the STAFFEX is that this is where we do the planning at the operational level,” Torres said. “While other parts of the exercise are tactical, the STAFFEX focuses on refining how we address a fictitious operational scenario, bringing together military planners from multiple nations to tackle complex problems.”
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