Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J Austin III, discussed the regional security environment as well as bilateral defense cooperation over the phone on Wednesday (March 31, 2021).
According to a statement received from the US Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday, the two ministers discussed the regional security environment, including the challenging situation in the South China Sea, as well as bilateral defense cooperation.
Secretary Austin also emphasized the importance of further developing defense relations between Indonesia and the United States and highlighted the capstone Army-to-Army exercise, Garuda Shield.
"The exercise is scheduled to take place in August (2021) as an opportunity to build greater interoperability between our armed forces," the US Embassy stated.
Minister Subianto also took the opportunity to extend his congratulations to Secretary Austin for his appointment as Secretary of Defense.
Meanwhile, Secretary Austin expressed his condolences on the recent terrorist attacks in Makassar and Jakarta.
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