Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin met with the United\nStates Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Virginia on\nMonday (13 April).<\/p>\n
Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of Information at the\nSecretariat General of the Ministry of Defence, explained that the\nmeeting discussed strengthening defence cooperation between Indonesia\nand the United States.<\/p>\n
He stated that the meeting serves as a starting point for bolstering\nthe International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme\nthrough capacity building and human investment in education and\ntraining, including for special forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis discussion aligns with the spirit of strengthening Indonesia-US\ndefence relations, aimed at supporting regional peace and stability,\nenhancing the professionalism of both armed forces while respecting the\nsovereignty and national interests of each country,\u201d Rico said in a\nwritten statement on Tuesday (14 April).<\/p>\n
Rico added that as a follow-up, a joint statement was issued\nannouncing the agreement to elevate defence cooperation between the two\ncountries to Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP), formalised on\n13 April.<\/p>\n
The Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) is a framework to\nexpand bilateral defence cooperation more strategically.<\/p>\n
He explained that under this framework, Indonesia and the United\nStates will explore jointly agreed initiatives, including capacity\ndevelopment cooperation, next-generation defence technology, improved\noperational readiness, professional military education, and strengthened\ninterpersonal defence relations between the two countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Indonesia, this cooperation is seen as an opportunity to\nstrengthen national defence capacity, but it will be carried out within\nthe framework of an active independent foreign policy, national\ninterests, and full respect for state sovereignty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rico noted that prior to the ministers\u2019 meeting, a cooperation\ndocument was signed: the MoU with the Defense POW\/MIA Accounting Agency\n(DPAA) between the Director General of Defence Strategy of the\nIndonesian Ministry of Defence, Major General Agus Widodo, and the\nDirector of DPAA, Kelly K McKeague, as the US counterpart.<\/p>\n
The DPAA essentially represents humanitarian and historical\ncooperation for the research, search, recovery, identification, and\nrepatriation of remains of US military personnel from World War II\nlocated in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
He explained that in practice, this cooperation is carried out only\nwith written approval from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia\nthrough the Ministry of Defence and must fully comply with Indonesian\nlaws and regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, DPAA activities are expected to consider local\ncommunity interests, environmental protection, historical values, and\nprovide social, academic, and economic benefits to the areas where\nactivities take place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Not Included in MDCP<\/p>\n
Rico assured that the US proposal regarding military overflight\naccess in Indonesian airspace is not included in the MDCP.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that this is a proposal from the United States that\nwill subsequently be considered internally by the Indonesian\nGovernment.<\/p>\n
The proposal is being carefully reviewed based on national interests,\nIndonesia\u2019s foreign policy principles, and state sovereignty.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the discussion process, Indonesia has made several important\nadjustments and emphasised that the document is non-binding, not\nautomatically applicable, and requires further discussion through\napplicable technical mechanisms and national procedures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Defence stated that every potential cooperation,\nincluding those still in proposal form and under discussion, will always\nbe placed within the framework of safeguarding the sovereignty of the\nUnitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, national interests, and\ncompliance with national and international law.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, every future step will be taken cautiously, measurably,\nand involving official government mechanisms according to the authority\nof each relevant agency,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/defence-minister-sjafrie-meets-us-secretary-of-war-at-pentagon-what-was-discussed-1776156663", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }