Indonesia and US expand cooperation on disaster-resilient infrastructure

Indonesia and the United States are strengthening cooperation in the field of military engineering to improve disaster resilience and the development of resilient infrastructure, as part of a long-term investment in bolstering national and humanitarian security. The Indonesian Embassy in Washington stated on Saturday that the discussion took place when Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Indroyono Soesilo met with US Assistant Secretary of the Army Adam M. Telle at the Department of Defense on Thursday, 23 July 2026. The meeting was a follow-up to discussions between Indonesian Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll in April 2026. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in technical engineering, enhancing disaster response capacity, building resilient infrastructure, and developing post-disaster community access recovery capabilities. Ambassador Indroyono assessed that the engineering cooperation between the two countries holds strategic significance for facing increasingly complex disaster challenges. “By combining the experience, technology, and innovation of both countries, we can build more resilient infrastructure and ensure communities gain faster access to basic services when disasters strike,” Indroyono said. As a country situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia faces various natural disaster threats, including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and landslides. According to the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, strengthening cooperation with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has strategic value in supporting resilient infrastructure development while accelerating humanitarian response when disasters occur. The collaboration between Indonesia and the USACE has so far been realised through various activities, including the Pacific Resilience and Disaster Response Exercise & Exchange (DREE), which involves the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the National Disaster Management Agency, USAID, and several international partners. These exercises cover critical infrastructure assessment, search and rescue operations, and the refinement of mechanisms for receiving international assistance in emergency situations. Furthermore, both countries see opportunities for cooperation in modular bridge construction, emergency route opening, river embankment construction, urban drainage systems, and capacity building for engineering personnel through joint education and training. The military engineering corps is a support corps that provides technical capabilities to ensure military and humanitarian operations can be carried out effectively. In disaster management, the engineering corps plays a role in applying technical capabilities to support mitigation, emergency response, and post-disaster rehabilitation efforts.