Soldiers from Australia's elite SAS have been training Indonesia's controversial Special Forces unit, Kopassus, at a base in West Java.
The ABC reports the exercise is modelled on a Mumbai-style terrorist attack in which tourists are taken hostage in Bali's international airport.
But human rights activists have criticised the training, saying Kopassus is still involved in human rights abuses despite more than 10 years of reform.
The Defence Department would not answer specific questions about the training and would not allow any officers or officials to be interviewed. It says Australia's training emphasises respect for human rights and the laws of armed conflict.
Kopassus commander Major General Lodewijk Paulus says his men are watching over the safety of Australian visitors.
"There are lots of Australian people in Bali so I want to show them, I want to give information to them: day by day the Australians [are] still protected by the Kopassus," he said.
Culture change
General Lodewijk says the training shows concerns about human rights abuse are a thing of the past.
"We changed our doctrine, we changed our culture," he said. "So now Kopassus (is) different than the last Kopassus."
But human rights campaigners say the unit continues to be involved in serious crimes.
Human Rights Watch says documented abuse continues and the Australian training undermines the push for reform.
The ABC has confirmed that several Kopassus officers convicted over murder and kidnapping plots have been moved sideways into other military jobs.
The United States military is also planning to resume training Kopassus.
But the US Congress wants evidence of reform and accountability, and the type of training is still being debated.
General Lodewijk says none of the men in his "new Kopassus" have blood on their hands.
Deeper ties wanted
General Lodewijk is looking forward to even deeper ties with Australia's SAS.
He is pushing for urban warfare training in Australia next year and jungle warfare training in Indonesia too.
