By C. LeShaun Smith
Strengthening Global Partnerships can mean a lot of things; it may be meeting with senior country officials / US State department representatives, community leaders such as mayors and police chiefs, training in arms, or…or it could be fishing from “natural” fertilized ponds, shipping sensitive items with crates of baby chickens, skydiving wind tunnels, riding bikes and running with plate carriers on the main roads filled w/ cars and scooters or cultural site visits of bare deserts surrounded by a tropical island to see volcanoes slightly erupting. These were all experiences I had as a Maneuver Advisor Team in 5th SFAB Brown Beret in Indonesia!
In a significant step during COVID pandemic towards enhancing international security cooperation, the US Army 5th SFAB team, MAT 5132, embarked on a partnership mission to Indonesia. Our strategic interoperability training aimed to foster mutual understanding, share expertise, and bolster the security capabilities of both nations. My experiences include such stories like; telling my wife to pull over because GEN McConville’s (then US Army COS) staff team is calling me, shipping thousands of dollars of military equipment to a remote Indonesian island with baby chickens as the only mode of transportation available, or the several times when I shared meals consisting of fish caught from ponds that had latrines over their water inlets (not sure I want to remember that). My team and I also had the unique experience of crossing deserts deep on the tropical island via jeeps and dirt bikes. We also observed numerous shows of Indonesian strength that included eating broken glass and smashing their bodies with sledge hammers. Though I share some ridiculous experiences I must mentioned that all times the Indonesian military went to great extents to ensure not only our safety but that they always looked good.
Building Strong Bonds:
The decision to send US Army Security Force Brigade Teams to Indonesia underscores the importance of forging strong bonds with allies across the globe. I was humbled to be part of that strategic engagement. Through the US-Indonesian partnership, both nations exchanged valuable insights, tactics, and best practices in security and defense. This exchange of knowledge paved the way for improved coordination in addressing evolving security challenges. Partnership activities included the sharing techniques for close quarter combat, tactical combat casualty care, and reacting to IED as well as marching the busy streets of villages with plate carriers and riding bicycles with random people surrounding us on extremely busy streets. To build strong bonds sometimes it meant sharing a meal and using google translate to have a conversation. It was pretty stressful for the team as it was constantly being recorded on camera not only in training but at our hotels or when we went anywhere such as the grocery store. The team was constantly going “viral” on Indonesia social media getting over 100,000 views on some of the Indonesian YouTube channels and getting the most interactions on US State Departments’ Facebook page.
Shared Expertise
Indonesia, with its diverse landscape and unique security concerns, presents a dynamic environment for learning and collaboration. The experience of pooling together the collective expertise of both nations is very unique. From counterterrorism strategies to disaster response techniques, this partnership enriched the skill sets of military personnel on both sides. We shared military experiences that included firing 50.cal sniper rifles, multiple ranges with SS1 rifles, buddy team live fires, and sergeants time training together. This always included “Dokumentase” or the paparazzi of videos/ photographers everywhere in which footage was always making its rounds on Indonesia social media. Our presence was reported nationally, bi-weekly on the TNI YouTube channel “60 Seconds”.
Cultural Exchange
Beyond the realm of security, this collaboration offered a chance for the team to experience cultural exchanges between the US and Indonesia. The team had the opportunity to interact with local Indonesian communities, fostering goodwill and understanding, such as was the case with the Mayor and Police Chief of Salatiga, Java. Some of our interactions included a demonstration of physical strength like rolling in and eating glass or having your SFAB partner slam a hammer on your abdomen breaking concrete. It also included visiting a sandy desert that can only be accessed by Jeep or dirt bike to watch a volcano spurt clouds of smoke.
Critical to the success of the mission and amazing execution of all the activities we did is greatly contributed to the performance of NCOs on the team. Every day, no matter how exhausted they were from the everyday interactions with the partner force they were always professional and took great pride in everything they presented to their partners. The deployment of Maneuver Advisor Team 5132 to Indonesia signified a moment in strengthening global security cooperation during a period of uncertainty with the COVID epidemic.. Achieving strengthened global partnerships can mean doing a lot of things. Do
