U.S. debates re-engaging Indonesian Military

U.S. debates re-engaging Indonesian Military

By Lee Siew Hua

WASHINGTON: American officials are not ruling out explicitly any engagement with the Indonesian army, the politically dominant and controversial branch of the armed forces, amid a debate within President George W. Bush's administration on the proper level of contact with the Indonesian armed forces (TNI).

The Bush administration is persuading Congress that any revived contacts with the Indonesian military will be reform- minded and minimal.

Sources said what appears new is that contacts with the Indonesian army are not being excluded in the administration's talks, though this is a sensitive issue for the U.S. Congress, which has condemned the abuses of Indonesian army elements.

Angel Rabasa, a Rand specialist on Southeast Asia, told The Straits Times the United States should engage all three services of TNI, but that it would be easier to start with the air force and navy, which were largely uninvolved in internal security or human-rights abuses.

He co-authored a new Rand report on Indonesia, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force. His report noted that the suspension of U.S. assistance has affected Indonesia's ability to react speedily to violence.

The escalating violence in parts of Indonesia makes rapid deployment of troops to trouble spots a critical need, but the suspension of U.S. military assistance to Indonesia -- particularly the restrictions on the transfer of military equipment and spare parts -- has affected the ability of the armed forces to transport troops to areas of violence on a timely basis.

Rabasa added: "The Indonesian military is arguably the only institution that transcends the divisions in Indonesian society, and it will be a key actor in influencing the political evolution of Indonesia."

This month, two prestigious think-tanks released reports that called for re-engagement with the Indonesian military. Besides Rand, the Council on Foreign Relations also unveiled a report by its task force on Southeast Asia.

Chaired by former senator Robert Kerrey, the task force has a special focus on U.S. relations with Indonesia, and said: "Congress has refused to fund the training of TNI officers; and the U.S. military, wary of congressional rebuke, has been reluctant to schedule more than a few low-level training exercises ... As a result of this short-sighted policy, the U.S. has had little opportunity to help shape a new attitude towards civil-military relations in the TNI, by training and encouraging it to be more acceptable of civilian control."

This is one possible facet of reform- oriented engagement that the Bush administration has in mind.

Indonesia-watchers believe the U.S. has a unique opportunity to influence TNI as it makes a doctrinal shift to a professional force focused on external security.

This is also a time when TNI is open to new ideas and is still favorably disposed to the U.S., despite the sparks of anti- American sentiment in the nation.

Certainly, the U.S. views Indonesia as a nation vital to Southeast Asian stability and to U.S. interests in the wider Asia-Pacific, which is the newly-intensified focus of the administration because of the potential for conflict and the rise of China.

However, analysts also admit U.S. influence is limited, and that Indonesians will ultimately decide what happens to Indonesia.

Derek Mitchell, a former Pentagon official who has joined the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told The Straits Times: "There is a lot of recognition that U.S. influence has a limited impact." He said any engagement with TNI will not be dramatic, "so that we don't get embarrassed".

Indeed, Bush administration officials who spoke to The Straits Times tended to play down the potential contacts, which are politically sensitive.

One official said the military component is one aspect of an overall policy review, and that each new administration will review policies towards important countries.

Besides, the 1999 Leahy Amendment circumscribes contact, the official said, adding: "We haven't had regular, close relations with the Indonesian military, unlike with other militaries in the region. No one anticipates that anytime soon."

Kurt Campbell, a former Pentagon official in the Clinton administration, said segments of Congress will assert that the United States should not "violate the law or the spirit of the Leahy Amendment".

Indeed, critics of Indonesia in congressional and human rights circles are concerned that while the U.S. has good intentions, any revival of contact will signal wrongly that it is business as usual with the TNI.

Meanwhile, even minimal contact -- such as training Indonesian officers in strictly humanitarian missions -- has been virtually cut off, a point that Ralph "Skip" Boyce, the next U.S. envoy to Jakarta, has made to lawmakers in briefings.

He has assured Congress there will be no lethal training, which is given to armed forces around the world. There will be no full re-connection with the TNI unless there is accountability on its part.

An Indonesian diplomat said: "Meanwhile, let's start cooperation on things that are not too controversial, like training the police, or having Indonesian observers at exercises. This will serve as a step-by-step normalization of full cooperation."

This is more realistic than a full endorsement or full rejection of engagement, both of which are too sensitive, he indicated. But it was possible to work fruitfully within the limits.

Working within the limits of military-to-military relations is one important piece of a larger military strategy, which can include supporting Indonesia's territorial integrity and rebuilding its regional security role.

And this military strategy, in turn, flows into an overall U.S. policy towards Jakarta, which should entail coherent U.S. support as Indonesia stabilizes its economy and democracy.

-- The Straits Times/Asia News Network