RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Navy deployed KRI Selar-879 for a tactical exercise with two Japanese Navy warships in the waters of Bitung, North Sulawesi. The destroyers, JNS Yamagiri and JNS Shiranui, conducted a passing exercise (passex) on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.

The arrival of these two Japanese "sea monsters" in Bitung aims to strengthen security stability in the Asia-Pacific maritime region. The Head of the Information Service (Kadispen) of Koarmada II, Colonel of the Navy (P) Antonius Februar, explained that this exercise serves as the main platform to hone the professionalism of the soldiers.

"The soldiers are engaged in various activities ranging from communication coordination to tactical maneuvers at sea," Antonius stated, as quoted from the Dispen Koarmada II statement, Wednesday, 4 March 2026.

Antonius mentioned that the ship's crew conducted a commcheck or radio network test to ensure that combat instructions were accurately communicated between countries. Not only that, but both navies practiced pilotage or safe navigation techniques when the ships passed thru narrow or hazardous waters.

"The soldiers also train in the dexterity of using signal flags (flaghoist) and flash communication (flashex) as alternatives for sending secret messages during wartime," he said.

Before slicing ththrough the waves in the sea of Bitung, these two Japanese destroyers had already docked at the Samudera Bitung pier since Saturday, 28 February 2026. The first ship, JNS Yamagiri (DD-152), is a veteran destroyer of the Asagiri class built by the Japanese military in the 1980s.

The ship, which has been officially in service since March 12, 1989, is under the command of the 11th Escort Division based in Yokosuka. With a length of 137 meters, Yamagiri carries around 220 soldiers and relies on Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Sea Sparrow air-to-air missiles to incapacitate opponents.