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