U.S. Navy reunites with ASEAN for second-ever AUMX

10 December 2025

From Lt. j.g. Camillia Nguyen, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 7 Public Affairs

Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 maritime staff elements, and defense officials from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened in Batam for the second ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX), Dec. 10.

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U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Katie Sheldon, vice commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, delivers remarks during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX) 2025, in Batam, Indonesia, Dec. 10, 2025. This is the second iteration of AUMX, designed to promote shared commitments to maritime partnerships, security, and stability in Southeast Asia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Robledo)

Co-hosted by Indonesia and the United States, AUMX 2025 highlights the U.S. Navy’s continual dedication to strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.

This iteration of AUMX will see subject matter expert exchanges in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and medical evacuations (MEDEVAC). The co-hosts will also facilitate a tabletop exercise where ASEAN member states (AMS) will execute a simulated MEDEVAC scenario to reinforce operational capabilities.

U.S. Navy Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS 20) will join eight other AMS assets at sea for a two-day sea phase to conclude the exercise. The allied and partner nation ships will operate in the Singapore Strait to conduct tactical maneuvers, damage control, search and rescue, and MEDEVAC exercises.

“The execution of ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise 2025 is the tangible representation of our collaboration and partnerships,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Matt Cox, deputy commodore, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7. “Since the first AUMX, we have worked with many of the ASEAN member states in bilateral exercises to further refine our tactical and operational capabilities, and we are looking forward to demonstrating our interoperability with our Southeast Asian partners.”

U.S. Navy Capt. Matt Cox, deputy commodore, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, speaks with U.S. Consul for Sumatra, Lisa Podolny, during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX) 2025, in Batam, Indonesia, Dec. 10, 2025. This is the second iteration of AUMX, designed to promote shared commitments to maritime partnerships, security, and stability in Southeast Asia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Robledo)

Heads of delegations and senior defense officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pose for a group photo with during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX) 2025, in Batam, Indonesia, Dec. 10, 2025. This is the second iteration of AUMX, designed to promote shared commitments to maritime partnerships, security, and stability in Southeast Asia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Robledo)

Indonesian National Armed Forces Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo, Secretary General, Ministry of Defense, delivers remarks during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX) 2025, in Batam, Indonesia, Dec. 10, 2025. This is the second iteration of AUMX, designed to promote shared commitments to maritime partnerships, security, and stability in Southeast Asia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Robledo)

Previously held in 2019, the inaugural AUMX served to promote shared commitments to maritime partnerships, security, and stability in the Southeast Asia region. Since then, DESRON 7 has conducted a number of exercises with numerous AMS, including the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series and various Naval Engagement Activities (NEA).

As the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed DESRON in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to Singapore; functions as Commander, Task Force (CTF) 76 Sea Combat Commander; and builds partnerships through training exercises and military-to-military engagements as the executing agent of Commander, Task Group CARAT. U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.