The Iran-United States and Israel war has lasted over a month without\nsigns of ending. Initially aimed at altering Iran\u2019s leadership\nstructure, the conflict has now shifted to a global energy crisis.\nIran\u2019s retaliatory attacks with waves of ballistic missiles and drones\non Israeli territory and US military bases in the Gulf region have\nintensified the fighting. Iran has subsequently used the Strait of\nHormuz as a geopolitical weapon to pressure the US and its allies.<\/p>\n
This strait, with an effective shipping lane just 3 km wide and\ndepths of 60-100 metres, is crossed by more than 20% of the world\u2019s oil\nsupply, making it a strategic global energy trade route. The navigation\nconditions pose technical challenges for ultra-large crude carrier\ntankers, requiring high-precision navigation to avoid grounding.<\/p>\n
We now realise that the sea is not merely a geographical space but\nthe primary stage for global energy politics. Spiking oil prices,\ndisrupted supply chains, and threats to global economic stability are at\nrisk. The Hormuz crisis illustrates how the sea has transformed from\ngeo-economics to geopolitics.<\/p>\n
While military strategists initially doubted Iran\u2019s capabilities, it\nhas in fact endured for over a month, launching increasingly sharp\nretaliatory strikes. Through its asymmetric strategy, Iran has forced\nthe Allies into a prolonged and costly military campaign, significantly\nweakening their military and economic capacities.<\/p>\n
War is no longer determined solely by the quality of attacks but also\nby the resilience of the targeted space. Iran has succeeded in adapting\nits military capabilities by exploiting military geography known as\nWeather, Terrain, Enemy (WTE). Natural landscapes such as mountains,\nseas, gulfs, straits, and deserts are never neutral. They can all serve\nas barriers, protectors, delayers, and multipliers of strength in\nwar.<\/p>\n
The Zagros and Elburz Mountains act as natural geographical shields,\nobstructing enemy radar and creating \u2018traps\u2019 that complicate attack\ndetection. The rugged terrain allows Iran to hide military installations\nunderground, neutralising the adversary\u2019s air technology superiority and\ncomplicating land invasions.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s defence is not just a matter of missile or drone numbers but\nthe result of a combination of territorial depth, topographical\nprotection, and the ability to exploit the world\u2019s most sensitive\nchokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz. Iran\u2019s control over the northern\nHormuz space provides strategic value far beyond narrow military\ncalculations.<\/p>\n
Sun Tzu (544-496 BC) was a legendary ancient Chinese general,\nmilitary strategist, and philosopher. His book, The Art of War, is a\nhighly influential guide to war tactics, emphasising victory through\nintelligence, espionage, and flexibility, even without physical combat.\nOne of Sun Tzu\u2019s sayings is, \u201cKnow your enemy and know yourself, and you\nwill win a hundred battles without risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran adeptly transforms ancient war strategies into modern methods,\nconcealing drone and missile strengths to appear weak. By hiding true\nmilitary capabilities and projecting vulnerability while preparing\ndeadly precision missile strikes when the enemy is off guard, the war is\nprolonged, gradually weakening the opponent\u2019s forces.<\/p>\n
HORMUZ CRISIS IN THE INDONESIAN CONTEXT<\/p>\n
With 17,504 scattered islands, Indonesia holds a vital role in the\nIndo-Pacific, serving as a convergence point for various global\ninterests, with around 40% of world trade passing through Indonesian\nwaters. Indonesia must address global geopolitical challenges such as\nsuperpower rivalries, South China Sea issues, cybersecurity, and climate\nchange with adaptive and visionary strategies. If these routes are\ndisrupted, the impact would not only cripple naval fleets but also halt\nfactories in East Asian industrial nations.<\/p>\n
Iran has one pressure point, the Strait of Hormuz. Indonesia has\nthree main international shipping lanes, the Indonesian Archipelagic Sea\nLanes. The Sunda Strait is the primary route to East Asia, while the\nLombok and Makassar Straits are traversed by giant ships unable to pass\nthrough the Malacca and Sunda Straits. The Ombai-Wetar Strait is crucial\nfor large ships and US nuclear submarines from Australia to the North\nPacific.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is also crossed by hundreds of submarine optic fibre\ncables, both domestic and international, making it a key digital\nconnectivity hub. Major international cables such as Apricot, Echo,\nBifrost, and INDIGO-West pass through Indonesia. Data from 2021 shows\n217 sea cable routes, 209 beach manholes (BMH), with hundreds of active\ncables scattered, particularly in western Indonesian waters.<\/p>\n
In the worst-case scenario, if a Hormuz-like crisis occurs in\nIndonesia and one of the three shipping lanes closes for maritime\nsecurity reasons, global ship insurance costs would skyrocket, and\nindustrial nations would see their economies collapse within weeks.<\/p>\n
NEED FOR HYDROGRAPHIC DATA<\/p>\n
Indonesia has 6.4 million square kilometres of waters and 17,504\nislands. Compare this with Iran, which has a land area of 1,636,000\nsquare kilometres and waters of around 12,000 square kilometres. With\nits asymmetric war strategy, Iran can counter allies with superior\nmilitary power by leveraging military geographical space to its\nadvantage.<\/p>\n
For Indonesia, maritime waters must become a tactical and strategic\nadvantage. Mastery over sea terrain data and information is crucial,\nimpossible to achieve without comprehensive and accurate hydrographic\ndata and information. Bathymetry data, seabed topography, oceanography\nof water bodies, and meteorology determine locations where<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sun-tzus-war-strategies-in-the-hormuz-crisis-1775098328", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }