How Hawaii Became A Training Ground For The Indonesian Military - Honolulu Civil Beat How Hawaii Became A Training Ground For The Indonesian Military Hawaii’s politicians and military commanders have pushed for strong defense ties with Jakarta for two decades, but Indonesia’s bloody history in the Pacific casts a shadow. Reading time: 12 minutes. On a rainy November day outside of Wahiawa at the 25th Infantry Division’s Lightning Academy, a platoon of U.S. Army Cavalry scouts trained with Indonesian paratroopers in the jungle. They used ropes to cross ravines and evacuated casualties up and down steep inclines through the jungle environment. Experienced jungle fighters, the Indonesians taught the Americans as much as they were learning.