Early this month, Indonesia’s Antara News shared through a feature that the U.S. Navy SEALs were engaging in a joint exercise with the Indonesian Navy’s Frogmen. The exercises were being held in Lampung province and would reportedly last for 24 days. As of this writing, the exercises will be nearing its end, scheduled for December 2.

The U.S. Navy SEALs is known to engage in joint exercises with the Navies of other countries; in January this year, they also conducted a month-long joint training exercise with the Komando Pasukan Katak (KOPASKA), featured in a previous post.

The exercise will reportedly serve as a test for both the individual and the team’s capabilities as well as provide an opportunity for them to improve on their level of mastery of standard operating procedures.

The commander of the Indonesian Navy Eastern Fleet Command Frogmen Force Col Andi Kriswanto said that joint exercises were usually conducted in the eastern part of Indonesia; Lampung province, though, where this particular joint exercise will be held, is in the western part of the country. This deviation was reportedly done as the conditions in this region of the country, with its mountainous terrains and beaches as well as the existence of an international seaport, were deemed suitable for conducting such exercises.

Among the activities that will be included in the 24-day activity are target shooting, simulations of anti-terrorist operations at the Panjang Port, as well as para jumping at the Raden Inten airport.

There are reportedly a total of 60 men participating in the exercises, consisting of U.S. Navy SEALs and members of Indonesia’s KOPASKA amphibious Special Forces. Another objective for the exercise, code named Flash Iron, is to improve the troops’ skills in “combating terrorism” in the seas.

The Indonesian archipelago has had its share of cases of maritime piracy, although a joint patrol along the Malacca Strait between Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia has curbed piracy in that area.