Australian and Indonesian forces deploy battle tanks in US-led combat drills amid Chinese concern

Indonesian Marines armored vehicles roll on the beach during an amphibious landing operation at the Super Garuda Shield multi-national military exercise in Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. Thousands of military personnel from the United States, Indonesia and other allied forces showcased their armor capabilities on Sunday in combat drills on the Indonesian island of Java as China takes more aggressive actions in the region. - AP

BANYUWANGI, Indonesia (AP): Thousands of soldiers from the United States, Indonesia, Australia and other allied forces demonstrated their armor capabilities on Sunday in combat drills on the Indonesian island of Java at a time of increased Chinese aggression in the region.

President Joe Biden’s administration has been strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to reassure allies alarmed by Beijing’s increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea, which has become a battleground for U.S-Chinese rivalries.