IRIA News

The United States and Indonesia agreed to strengthen defense cooperation and improve interoperability between the militaries of the two countries during the defense ministers meeting in Jakarta on November 21.

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III pledged to improve interoperability between the Indonesian and U.S. militaries.  

During his fifth visit to the Indo-Pacific region and third to Southeast Asia since taking office, U.S. Secretary Lloyd Austin said the meeting with the Indonesian defense minister “underscores the importance of our partnership” and “the scope and scale of our defense cooperation only continues to grow, spurred both by our converging security interests and by our commitment to shared principles.”

Both leaders discussed defense modernization, military interoperability, and joint exercises between the two militaries. Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo told U.S. Secretary Austin that he was very comfortable with working with the U.S. military. Indonesian and U.S. service members have worked together “in many aspects of operations, in training and education, in military weapons, in joint exercises, in intensive and extensive exchanges of experts, and also in high-level meetings between our defense officials,” Prabowo added.

Prabowo also discussed the Indonesian government’s plan for buying F-15 jets from the U.S. Boeing company. The U.S. secretary of defense said the acquisition would increase interoperability.

According to the U.S. secretary, the United States and Indonesia will also expand their military exercises. “We’re continuing to expand the scope and complexity of our engagements.” Austin said while adding that “Earlier this year, Indonesia hosted a super [Exercise] Garuda Shield, with more than 4,000 combined forces from 14 countries… making it one of the largest multinational exercises in the region.”

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, both leaders also agreed to expand opportunities for service members of the United States and Indonesia to study together, as Indonesian cadets and midshipmen are already training at the U.S. military academies. Austin said that the U.S. “provided more than $130 million in training and education funds to Indonesian students.” He added that “Our own defense leaders have also benefited from Indonesia’s outstanding institutions. More than 100 American military officers have been educated here.”

“We plan to fund new education and networking opportunities for emerging civilian defense leaders — increased English language training and professional military education — and new institutional capacity building engagements. Our investments in the next generation of leaders will help ensure that our shared vision of a secure, open and prosperous region thrives in the decades ahead,” Austin added.

A U.S. Department of Defense senior official said that “Indonesia plays a critical role in supporting the rules-based order, not just in Southeast Asia, but in the Indo-Pacific region and globally. U.S. Defense Secretary Austin also said that the Indo-Pacific region “is the key to an open, secure, and prosperous world.”

Before his trip to the region, Austin highlighted during a speech at the Halifax International Security Forum that the “Defense Department’s pacing challenge is an increasingly assertive China that is trying to refashion both the region and the international system to suit its authoritarian preferences.”

Austin stressed that working with allies and partners in the region is the best way to defend the rules-based architecture and deter aggression. “We’re drawing on the lessons from Ukraine to further bolster the self-defense capabilities of our Indo-Pacific partners. We’re helping them to become more agile and resilient. And we’re working toward an open, secure future that advances our shared interests and shared values,” Austin added.

After concluding his trip to Indonesia, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia to attend ASEAN’s Defense Ministerial Meeting Plus.

The ASEAN Defense Ministers’ meeting is the first in-person gathering between the leaders of the group since 2019. According to a U.S. Department of Defense official, “It’s the only forum we have for Indo-Pacific defense ministers to come together in a ministerial setting like this in Asia, so it’s an important opportunity for like-minded partners — and some who aren’t like-minded — who want to sit together … and put everything on the table.”