MDCP Not Included in US Military Air Access Agreement
The Ministry of Defence has stated that the Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) between Indonesia and the United States is separate from the agreement on US military air access permissions in Indonesian territory, or the Letter of Intent Overflight Clearance, which is currently being negotiated by both countries.
Head of the Defence Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, said that the proposal regarding overflight permissions in Indonesian territory for the US military is still being discussed internally within the government. According to him, the cooperation is a proposal from the US.
He said the government is still carefully reviewing the content of the offered cooperation. In its discussions, Rico assured that Indonesia has made several important adjustments.
“The document is also non-binding and not automatically applicable, and still requires further discussion through applicable technical mechanisms and national procedures,” Rico stated in a press release on Tuesday, 14 April 2026.
The one-star general claimed that every cooperation being negotiated by the Ministry of Defence always starts from the framework of safeguarding the sovereignty of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia. All decisions are also inseparable from national interests and compliance with national law, as well as applicable international law.
“Every future step will be taken carefully, measured, and involving official government mechanisms according to the authority of each agency,” he said.
The MDCP was recently signed by Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin together with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Monday, 13 April 2026.
This agreement focuses on three main pillars as the foundation for strengthening defence relations between the two countries. “(1) military modernisation and capacity enhancement; (2) professional military training and education; and (3) exercises and operational cooperation,” states the official cooperation document on the US Department of War website, quoted on Tuesday, 14 April 2026.
Within the MDCP framework, both countries will explore various cutting-edge initiatives agreed upon together. These initiatives include joint development of advanced asymmetric capabilities utilising next-generation defence technology in maritime, subsurface, and autonomous systems.
On the other hand, several foreign media have previously reported on mass flight permissions for US military aircraft in Indonesia. The issue stems from media reports revealing secret documents regarding US efforts to obtain blanket overflight access in Indonesian airspace.
As reported by online media The Sunday Guardian on Sunday, 12 April 2026, there is a secret US defence document to secure overflight access for US military aircraft through Indonesian airspace. The document is said to follow a meeting between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump in Washington in February.