Hegseth announces ‘major’ defence partnership with Indonesia

WASHINGTON – US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on April 13 a “major” defence partnership with Indonesia following a meeting with the South-east Asian nation’s defence minister at the Pentagon.

“We are elevating our relationship to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, in recognition of the strength and potential of our bilateral defense ties,” Mr Hegseth said in a statement on X.

The partnership covers “military modernisation and capacity building”, “training and professional military education” and “exercises and operational cooperation”, according to a joint statement.

“Both nations reaffirm their shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.

Jakarta said the partnership was an “opportunity to reinforce national defence capacity”, but insisted that “free and active foreign policy, national interests, and full respect for state sovereignty” would be maintained.

It said that a US proposal to grant American military aircraft access over Indonesian airspace was being “carefully reviewed”.

“It still requires further discussion through technical mechanisms and applicable national procedures,” the Indonesian Ministry of Defence statement added.

Indonesia has the strongest military in South-east Asia, according to the Global Firepower defence analysis site.

While Jakarta says it maintains a non-aligned diplomatic posture, in 2025 it joined the BRICS bloc of emerging economies that includes Russia and China.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on April 13 for oil talks.

But Mr Prabowo has also signed a trade deal with US President Donald Trump and joined his so-called Board of Peace.

The country is strategically located on the Malacca Strait – the world’s busiest chokepoint for oil and petroleum liquids, according to the US Energy Information Administration. AFP