The Indonesian Navy ship KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata and the Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD Lekir have played a key role in Exercise Kakadu, reinforcing South-East Asia's contribution to Australia's premier multinational maritime activity.
Both vessels formed part of a multinational task group that transited from Darwin to Sydney alongside warships from India, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, conducting integrated training serials en route to the International Fleet Review in Sydney Harbour.
The transit phase provided an extended opportunity for participating navies to enhance interoperability, practise command and control procedures and build professional relationships while operating across a range of maritime warfare and constabulary scenarios.
Australian Army Captain Matthew Malcolm, a Defence linguist supporting Kakadu, said his role went beyond translation.
"At first I expected that the role of a Defence linguist in an exercise like this would be to translate key information about activities," Captain Malcolm said.
"But it didn't take long to realise that the Defence linguist has an even more important function.
"I was there to demonstrate to the Indonesian Navy, on behalf of the Australian Defence Force, that we take them seriously, and respect their language and culture."
'I came to offer translation, but I left with new friendships and a bond with the Indonesian Navy.'
For the crews of Raden Eddy Martadinata and Lekir, the demands of Kakadu were heightened by the timing of the activity during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, with both ships crewed predominantly by Muslim personnel.
Operating a warship during a high‑tempo multinational exercise requires sustained focus, physical endurance and round‑the‑clock vigilance - demands that do not pause for religious observance.
During Ramadan, Muslim sailors fast from dawn to sunset, requiring careful management of energy levels while maintaining full operational capability.
To support this, participating navies applied command‑led, culturally informed adaptations, including adjusted meal timings aligned with pre‑dawn and sunset periods, flexible watch rotations where operationally feasible, and close monitoring of personnel welfare during demanding serials.
Despite fasting, the ships remained fully integrated within the task group, participating in manoeuvres, communications exercises and coordinated transits alongside partner navies.
Captain Malcolm said the experience reinforced the human dimension of multinational cooperation.
"I came to offer translation, but I left with new friendships and a bond with the Indonesian Navy," he said.
Led by the Royal Australian Navy, the Darwin to Sydney transit focused on seamanship, navigation, maritime security and combined operations through Australian waters.
For Indonesia and Malaysia, participation underscored a shared commitment to regional stability and cooperation across the Indo‑Pacific.
Kakadu highlighted not only advanced maritime capability, but also the ability of modern navies to respect cultural and religious diversity while operating as a unified force - an essential strength in today's multinational maritime environment.
