Defense leaders and personnel from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States Navy convened in Batam, Indonesia, for the second ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX) in December 2025.
AUMX is a platform for building trust, sharing knowledge and enhancing cooperative maritime security, Lt. Gen. Tri Budi Utomo, secretary-general of the Indonesian Defense Ministry, said during the opening ceremony.
“Through this exercise, we reaffirm our commitment to maintaining maritime stability and ensuring the region remains peaceful and secure,” he said, according to the Antara news agency.
Hosted by Indonesia and the U.S., the exercise built on the first iteration in 2019 and reaffirmed the joint commitment among ASEAN’s 11 members and the U.S. to maintain maritime peace, security and stability.
“The execution of ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise 2025 is the tangible representation of our collaboration and partnerships,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Matt Cox, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, which serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of U.S. 7th Fleet littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to Singapore.
AUMX 2025 featured maritime drills and expert exchanges on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and medical evacuations (medevac), including a simulated scenario to reinforce operational capabilities.
During the two-day sea phase, allied and partner forces enhanced interoperability through tactical maneuvers, damage control, search and rescue, and medevac drills in the Singapore Strait.
Since 2019, DESRON 7 has conducted exercises with ASEAN members including the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training series and naval engagement activities.
AUMX showcased Indonesia’s key position in advancing regional defense and security in keeping with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, Utomo said. “Batam is not only strategically important but also demonstrates Indonesia’s strong maritime heritage, making it an ideal location for this maritime exercise.”
Rear Adm. Nguyen Thien Quan, deputy chief of staff of the Vietnam People’s Navy, said his nation participated in the exercise with a high sense of responsibility, working with other ASEAN countries and the U.S. to promote peace, stability, friendship and development in the region, and with the U.S. in particular, to create strategic trust for mutual development, according to the Hanoi-based Việt Báo newspaper.
“Participation in this activity also affirms Vietnam’s independent, self-reliant, multilateral and diversified foreign policy, while demonstrating its role as an active and responsible member in the areas set forth by the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting and ASEAN Plus,” Việt Báo reported.