Deputy Chairman of Commission I of the House of Representatives\n(DPR), Sukamta, stated that his commission is overseeing the planned\ncooperation agreement regarding airspace access for the United States\nmilitary in Indonesian airspace. He noted that the information remains\nspeculative.<\/p>\n
Sukamta reminded that inter-state defence cooperation agreements must\nbe consulted with the legislative body. In particular, he said, if the\nstrategic agreement impacts aspects of national sovereignty and\ndefence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe firmly uphold the principle that national interests and state\nsovereignty must be the top priority in every policy,\u201d Sukamta said in a\nwritten statement on Monday, 13 April 2026.<\/p>\n
The plan for the United States military to secure comprehensive or\nblanket overflight access in Indonesian skies has become a topic of\ndiscussion on social media. The secret document was revealed by one of\nthe US news media outlets.<\/p>\n
Sukamta emphasised that there is no legal basis allowing a country to\ngrant unrestricted free access to its airspace to foreign parties.\nBecause, he said, based on national and international law, all foreign\nmilitary aviation activities are required to comply with strict\npermitting mechanisms.<\/p>\n
He explained that Indonesia is fundamentally in a strategic position\nin the Indo-Pacific region. That condition, he said, should make\nIndonesia committed to maintaining stability in the region.<\/p>\n
This politician from the Prosperous Justice Party called for the\nplanned agreement allowing US military aircraft to fly freely in\nIndonesian airspace to be considered thoroughly. In particular, he said,\nthe implications for regional geopolitical balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government is expected to provide a complete, proportionate, and\nfact-based explanation,\u201d Sukamta said.<\/p>\n
In a separate statement, the Head of the Defence Information Bureau\nof the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, said\nthat the agreement is still in the internal and inter-agency discussion\nstage. According to him, the blanket overflight clearance document has\nnot yet been finalised to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does not yet have binding legal force and cannot be used as the\nbasis for official Government of the Republic of Indonesia policy,\u201d Rico\nsaid in a written statement on Monday, 13 April 2026.<\/p>\n
Rico said that Indonesia retains full authority in granting airspace\naccess for foreign military aircraft in future regulations. Every\naccess, he said, remains based on approval or rejection of each activity\nin national airspace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndonesia continues to uphold defence cooperation with all countries\nbased on principles of mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutual benefit\nwithout sidelining national interests and state sovereignty,\u201d Rico\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In addition, he stated that every discourse and draft cooperation\nmechanism must still go through a careful and multi-layered discussion\nprocess. That process, he said, is carried out before the planned\ncooperation agreement with other countries is considered further in\naccordance with applicable mechanisms and authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Indonesian context, this means the entire process must follow\nstatutory regulations, institutional mechanisms, and national political\ndecisions,\u201d said the two-star general.<\/p>\n
Rico said that every discussion of planned defence cooperation with\nother countries is always oriented towards national interests.\nIncluding, he said, in order to maintain the sovereignty of the Unitary\nState of the Republic of Indonesia and fully guided by applicable\nnational and international legal provisions. \u201cWe affirm that authority,\ncontrol, and supervision over Indonesian airspace are entirely in the\nhands of the Indonesian state,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dprs-response-to-the-airspace-access-agreement-for-the-us-1776073853", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }