The 2023 KOMODO will take place in the Flores Sea south of the Sulawesi Island, off shore of a small Komodo Island from June 5-8. The exercise will be held under the slogan "Partnership to Recover and to Rise Stronger," the report said.
"It is an honor that this friendly activity can be held in Makassar City," Indonesian Defense Forces Commander Admiral Yudo Margono was quoted by ANTARA as saying at the opening.
Honored guests from 36 countries including Russia, the US, China, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Canada were present at the ceremony, the report said.
The representatives of the states' navies signed a memorandum of understanding in cooperation in joint strengthening and recovery, the agency added.
During the opening ceremony, some of the participating countries demonstrated the capabilities of their warplanes within the air show, such as Russian fighters Sukhoi 2730 (SU-27), Canadian Thunder Flight and Indonesian Bonanza, the Indonesian news agency reported.
KOMODO is a non-military exercise prioritizing regional naval cooperation, disaster management and humanitarian operations for strengthening partnership between the Indonesian navy and friendly nations. The multinational maritime exercise KOMODO has been held every two years since 2014.