JAKARTA - The governments of Indonesia and Japan would co-host the ASEAN Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercise (ARF Direx) in North Sulawesi of Indonesia from March 14 to 19, media quoting Indonesian Defense Ministry officials reported here on Thursday.

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Twenty four countries have confirmed their participation while Myanmar and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have yet to confirm their participation, according to Brig. General Syaiful Anwar, the directorate general's deployment director of the ministry.

"The exercise is to involve 3,520 participants and 931 foreign participants," he was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.

Anwar said that the Indonesian military would deploy a number of aircraft and vessels for the exercise including a C-130 Hercules heavy transport aircraft, NAS-332 Super Puma medium helicopter, a number of warships and a floating hospital.

Several foreign contingents will also deploy a number of aircraft, vessels and other equipment. Japan will bring one landing ship tank (LST), two Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCACs) or hovercraft, four helicopters and one C-130 Hercules while the US will bring one C-17 Globemaster III heavy transport aircraft, two helicopters, one amphibious vessel and construction equipment.

Indonesian Vice President Boediono is to open the exercise, according to Maj. General Punguh Santoso, the ministry's director general of defense strategy.

"The exercise will consist of table-top and field exercises. Table top exercises, which are command post exercises, will show the flow of the chain of command from exercise managers to field operators, while the field exercise will simulate a real disaster relief operation," the general said.

He said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) would lead the overall aspects of the exercise while the Defense Ministry and military would only assist in the operational aspect as well as cooperate with participating foreign militaries.