Canada has signed a new military co-operation agreement with Indonesia in what Ottawa is calling a “significant step forward” in its security partnership with the Southeast Asian country.

As part of the agreement, the Department of National Defence announced Monday it was sending its largest-ever contingent of Canadian Armed Forces personnel to a two-week multinational exercise hosted by the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

The memorandum of understanding on military co-operation between the two countries was signed while Canada’s top soldier is on her first visit to Indonesia.

“Formalizing our military co-operation with a key Indo-Pacific partner like Indonesia is vital to strengthening Canada’s ability to promote peace and stability in the region,” Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said in a statement released by the department Monday.

The agreement is expected to bolster collaboration in areas of maritime security, military interoperability and crisis response, according to National Defence.

“By enhancing our interoperability with the Tentara Nasional Indonesia (Indonesian National Armed Forces), we ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces remain ready to uphold international law and defend Canadian sovereignty,” Carignan said.

Exercise Super Garuda Shield has been held annually in the capital of Jakarta since 2007, led by the United States and Indonesia, with Canada joining the drills alongside the United Kingdom, France, Australia and more than a dozen other participant nations since 2022.

This year, Canada is deploying engineers, medical trainers, staff officers and a public affairs team to the exercise.

“This contingent is approximately 30 members and will integrate into the exercise in both control and participatory capacities,” said Maj. Graeme Scott, a spokesperson for the Canadian Joint Operations Command, in an email to CTV News.

The Indonesian military says this year’s combat drills will mark the largest multinational exercise ever held in the country, calling the effort “a beacon of our shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability,” in a statement Monday.

More than 6,000 combined armed forces members from countries, including Germany, Japan, Brazil, Singapore and South Korea, are expected to take part in the drills.

National Defence says the new partnership memorandum builds on Ottawa’s broader Indo-Pacific Strategy to increase Canada’s defence presence in the region.

“As a Pacific nation, the security and stability of the broader Indo-Pacific region is vital to Canada’s future and global stability,” the statement said. “Canada is, and will continue to be, an active, reliable and predictable partner in the region.”