First-ever ASEAN-only joint military drills kick off in Indonesia

ASEAN military forces have begun their first-ever joint drills near Indonesia's Riau Islands in the southern reaches of the South China Sea. This, amid rising tensions with Beijing over China's claim to the waterway. Hundreds of troops from the 10-country bloc are involved in the five-day ASEAN Solidarity Exercise. The group had previously conducted joint exercises with other countries -- including the US and China -- but this is the first time members are staging drills among themselves.

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