TNI's New Doctrine Amid Indo-Pacific Strategic Shifts

Amid rising geopolitical rivalries in the Indo-Pacific region, Indonesia has finally taken a significant step by updating its military doctrine to ‘Perisai Trisula Nusantara’. This move is not merely a change in terminology, but an effort to build a new national defence paradigm that is more relevant to the dynamics of 21st-century warfare. For decades, Indonesia’s defence doctrine was primarily oriented towards conventional threats in the form of direct military aggression against state territory. However, global developments show that modern conflict has fundamentally changed. The Russia-Ukraine war demonstrates the dominance of drones, satellites, artificial intelligence, and electronic warfare. The conflict in the Middle East highlights the importance of layered air defence systems and precision strike capabilities. Meanwhile, tensions in the South China Sea confirm that great power competition occurs simultaneously through diplomacy, economics, technology, cyber, and information operations. As an archipelagic nation situated at the crossroads of two oceans and two continents, Indonesia faces far more complex challenges than many other countries. Threats to undersea communication cables, satellites, strategic ports, energy refineries, national data centres, and disruptions to logistics supply chains can have strategic impacts without a formal declaration of war. Therefore, the new TNI doctrine needs to strengthen synergy with other ministries and agencies, including cyber security managers, intelligence, the coast guard, the defence industry, and local governments as part of an integrated state defence system. In this context, Perisai Trisula Nusantara is a strategic answer to ensure the TNI does not fall behind in the evolution of modern warfare. This doctrine places the integration of the three service branches as its main foundation, while also opening space for integration with the cyber, intelligence, space, and information operations domains. Conceptually, Indonesia is moving towards an approach that aligns with various modern doctrines in the Indo-Pacific. The United States is developing Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO), which connects all land, sea, air, space, and cyber forces in a single integrated operations network. Australia, through its 2023 Defence Strategic Review, has shifted its military orientation from continental defence to a strategy of denial, aimed at preventing adversaries from entering strategic areas using long-range forces, missiles, and maritime capabilities. Japan has adopted the Multi-Domain Defense Force concept, which emphasises the integration of missile defence, space, cyber, and counter-strike capabilities against regional threats.