NZDF joins major disaster response exercise in Indonesia

1 October 2026

New Zealand military engineers, medics and cyber security personnel have taken part in a major disaster response exercise in Indonesia, working alongside international teams to practise how they would help communities after an earthquake, tsunami or volcanic eruption.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) sent 28 personnel to Exercise Trident Resolve, held in Banten from 20 to 26 September. About 2,200 people from 19 militaries and civilian agencies took part, making it the largest exercise of its kind under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus framework in a decade.

For the NZDF, the focus was on a question that matters when disaster strikes: how quickly can people from different countries work together while supporting the civilian agencies leading the response?

Wing Commander Tom Fletcher served as a deputy director in the multinational control centre, which coordinated requests for help from the local emergency response authority. He said the exercise gave participating nations a chance to understand one another’s systems and capabilities before they might need to work together in a real emergency.

“This level of military cooperation helps us be better prepared to respond to natural disasters and support the civilian agencies that have the lead in supporting the communities affected,” he said.

New Zealand co-chaired the exercise’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief expert working group with Singapore. The training also brought together specialists in military medicine and cyber security.

From casualty care to construction

Thirteen New Zealand Army engineers helped manage a work site and build a medical facility. At the end of the exercise, the completed facility was handed over to Indonesia’s armed forces.

Two Royal New Zealand Navy medics, an Army dentist and a Royal New Zealand Air Force health specialist worked with personnel from other countries on casualty treatment and disaster victim identification scenarios.

NZDF cyber security personnel examined how damage or disruption to digital systems during a natural disaster could affect the emergency response. The exercise also included discussion of how relief efforts can account for the needs of women, children and minority communities.

Squadron Leader Alex Bertram, the NZDF’s Women, Peace and Security adviser for the exercise, worked with representatives from Japan and Australia on that part of the planning. She said practising those conversations helps teams apply the principles during preparedness, response and recovery.

NZDF contingent leader Lieutenant Colonel James Russell said the week tested the coordination needed to deliver aid across multiple countries and specialist teams. The value of that work, he said, lies in being able to bring those people and systems together when help is urgently needed.