SHAH ALAM: Exercise Keris Strike 2021. The Malaysian military is holding its first face to face exercise with a foreign military – the US Army – locally after a hiatus for almost 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The exercise is of course Keris Strike 2021 being held at the Hobart camp in Gurun, Kedah.
The release from US Embassy KL.
Malaysian Armed Forces and U.S. Army Pacific announced today their participation in Exercise Keris Strike 2021, to be held in and around Gurun, Kedah, Malaysia from 1-12 November.
Keris Strike is an annual, bilateral exercise sponsored by U.S. Army Pacific and hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces. This year marks the 25th iteration of the exercise which contributes to enhancing U.S. and Malaysian defense readiness and tactical interoperability while strengthening bilateral relationships.
Approximately 27 U.S. personnel will participate in this year’s exercise consisting of jungle operations and squad-level tactics.
It must be noted that the Armed Forces stopped local exercises with foreign forces since March 2020. The decision also affected the recent Exercise Bersama Gold 2021. Even though some foreign officers were involved in the planning and execution of the exercise, most of them are already based here at the Butterworth airbase, specifically at the headquarters of the Five Power Defence Arrangements Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS). Other interactions were done via tele-conferencing.
It must be noted that not a single aircraft or ships which took part in Bersama Gold 2021 had stopped or landed in Malaysia. From the release above, we know only 27 US Army personnel are involved in Keris Strike 2021, a much smaller number than the ones who took in previous exercises. One was so big that some people mistook their participation as a prelude to the invasion of Malaysia!.
— Malaysian Defence
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Marhalim,
“It must be noted that not a single aircraft or ships which took part in Bersama Gold 2021 had stopped or landed in Malaysia. From the release above, we know only 27 US Army personnel are involved in Keris Strike 2021, a much smaller number than the ones who took in previous exercises”
You mentioned that the Bersama Gold limitation was requested by our end, could the Keris Strike small turn out to be the same? Unlike the Indonesian – US Garuda Sheild, that was a huge exercise in the midst of the pandemic.
In the 80s there was once nearly a whole batt of usmc coming over for unilateral training… Only diff is they came using commercial acft and landed at subang Airport… 10 bas persiaran and 6 hino 3 tonnes frm 1KPD to haul them and their eqpt to maybe hobart camp…. They were in country for more 3 months as I stumble upon their convoy again sans the busses on federal highway….
Indonesian Garuda Shield dwarfs ours in comparison, both Exercise Bersama Gold and Exercise Keris Strike.
Teh – ”Indonesian Garuda Shield dwarfs ours in comparison”
Yes but there has been previous exercises which have ”dwarfed in comparison’ to what Indonesia did with the U.S. Covid has had a big impact and both the host and other country need common agreement on the scope of the exercise. Some countries will be more amenable than others with regards to troop numbers.
Yes, perhaps next year one will be bigger