Understanding MDCP, the New Defence Agreement Between Indonesia's Defence Minister and the US

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Major Defense Cooperation Partnership or MDCP is a cooperation agreement recently signed by Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoedin with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The agreement was signed by both defence ministers at the Pentagon, Washington D.C., on Monday (13/4/2026). “As a follow-up, a joint statement has been issued announcing the agreement to elevate defence cooperation between the two countries to Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) between the United States and Indonesia, which was formalised on 13 April 2026,” said Rico, Head of the Defence Information Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo, in his official statement on Tuesday (14/4/2026). What are the points of cooperation in the MDCP agreement? Several collaborations include defence capacity development, next-generation military technology, and enhanced operational readiness. The two defence ministers also agreed to strengthen military personnel relations. The cooperation was signed to improve the professionalism of the armed forces of both countries. The IMET programme is mentioned as a form of strengthening capacity building and human investment in education and training. “Including for special forces,” said Rico. Rico stated that this step is considered important to support regional stability and increase interoperability between the Indonesian and US militaries. The signing of the memorandum of understanding was conducted between Director General of Defence Strategy of the Indonesian Ministry of Defence Major General TNI Agus Widodo and DPAA Director Kelly K McKeague. “DPAA essentially represents humanitarian and historical cooperation for research, search, recovery, identification, and repatriation of the remains of US military personnel skeletons from World War II located in Indonesian territory,” Rico explained.