KOTA BELUD, Malaysia – Beneath the dense jungle canopy of Malaysia, Oklahoma Army National Guard Soldiers trained alongside Malaysian and Australian forces during Exercise Keris Strike, July 13-29, 2026, to sharpen combat readiness, strengthen interoperability and reinforce enduring security partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
What began as a bilateral exercise between the United States and Malaysia in 1994 has evolved into a multinational training event that prepares participating forces to operate together in complex operational environments. For the Oklahoma National Guard, Exercise Keris Strike provides realistic training that develops combat-ready Soldiers while strengthening enduring partnerships with allies and partners.
"Keris Strike is a joint multinational training effort,” said 1st Lt. Joseph Hacker, executive officer for Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 160th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard. “It's a great chance for us to link up with some of our partners to kind of cross train, to show them what our capabilities are and to learn from them as well."
This year marks the Oklahoma National Guard's second participation in Exercise Keris Strike and its largest contribution to the exercise to date, with Soldiers from infantry, field artillery and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System units training alongside allied and partner forces.
"Keris Strike is a coalition force engagement where we have Australia, Guam, Malaysia and the Oklahoma National Guard all in joint efforts," said Sgt. 1st Class Donald Hamilton, platoon sergeant, 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard. "Our role is essentially the opposing force. We're kind of the ‘bad guys’ to help the Malaysian military build up their defensive power."
From helicopter insertion drills and jungle maneuver to artillery and HIMARS operations, Exercise Keris Strike challenges Oklahoma Soldiers to train in unfamiliar terrain alongside allied and partner forces. The realistic training environment prepares Soldiers to operate effectively wherever future missions may take them.
"Starting at those little tiny things... teaching them in an environment where they can mess up so that whenever we do go into theater where they can't mess up, they've already worked those kinks out,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kimberlin Turpin, platoon sergeant and acting master gunner for 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Field Artillery Brigade, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
Beyond tactical training, Exercise Keris Strike strengthens the relationships that enable multinational forces to communicate, coordinate and accomplish the mission together. By sharing knowledge and learning from one another, participating nations improve their ability to respond to future challenges effectively.
"The importance is building those relationships, building trust with other nations. At the end of the day, the more people that we can work with, the more relationships that we can build, the better off we're going to be long term in the future,” Turpin said.
The experience extends beyond tactical proficiency, exposing Soldiers to new environments, cultures and ways of operating that develop more adaptive leaders. Those lessons return home with each Soldier, strengthening the Oklahoma National Guard long after the exercise concludes.
"From day one, my expectation is that they make the relationships, they learn how to make the relationships, and they leave here being better Soldiers than when they got here,” Turpin said.
Exercise Keris Strike marks the first opportunity to train overseas for many participating Soldiers, providing professional experiences rarely found outside multinational exercises. Those opportunities build technical expertise, leadership skills and confidence while showcasing the unique experiences available in the Oklahoma National Guard.
"Whenever we get the chance like this, I really encourage other Soldiers to hop on because they get that experience, they get to make those memories,” Hamilton said. “It's not every day you get to go to a foreign country and learn how another military operates. It's a golden opportunity."
The exercise concluded with a culminating training event that brings together the skills, relationships and lessons developed throughout Keris Strike. Designed to challenge participating forces in a realistic operational environment, the final exercise gives Soldiers the opportunity to apply what they've learned while operating alongside allies and partners.
"We've learned a lot about ourselves and about how we need to operate in this type of environment," Hamilton said. "When we get back to Oklahoma, we'll be able to let our sister companies know exactly how to prepare for going into a jungle environment."