This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Australia said it planned to hold its largest-ever military exercise with Indonesia in November, the first under a new defense pact the two neighbors signed on Thursday, signaling deepening ties in a region fraught with geopolitical tensions.
Their defense ministers signed the treaty-level agreement in Central Java province as Indonesia was hosting its annual Super Garuda Shield joint military exercise with the United States in neighboring East Java province.
The agreement is important for Canberra because of growing Chinese military activity in contested South China Sea waters. While Indonesia professes non-alignment and neutrality in the Beijing vs the West tussle, it is an important nation to court because it is Southeast Asia’s largest.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said the agreement, which he signed with his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, “is an important piece of international architecture” underpinned with substance.
“Later this year, in November, exercise Chris Woomera will be the biggest bilateral exercise between our two countries, almost 2000 personnel from Australia and Indonesia’s defense forces working together, exercising together at Surabaya,” he said at a news conference after the agreement was signed.
“It’s across the fields of air, land and sea. It’s the most complex exercise that we will have seen,” Marles said, adding it would be the biggest exercise that Australia would jointly stage outside its territory in 2024.
‘Promote sustainable security’
In Indonesian, the exercise is called Woomera Keris 2024.
The keris (or kris), a Javanese-style dagger known for its distinctive wavy blade, is a weapon used in an Indonesian martial art. And the woomera is an Australian wood spear-throwing device.
Marles said the exercise was developed keeping this agreement in mind.
“It is an example of how at this moment in our history, we see each other relying on the security of each other and working much more closely together to develop that,” the Australian minister said.
“[W]e will see a much greater interoperability between our defense forces, and an ability to operate from each other’s countries, and on that basis, we can work much more closely together on our shared interests, most significantly of which is maintaining the global rules based order.”
Prabowo, who will be sworn in as the next Indonesian president in October, said the agreement with Australia would also address regional issues.
“This agreement is intended to strengthen our direct relationship as neighbors, enhance cooperation in addressing security threats, and promote sustainable security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” Prabowo said at a press conference alongside Marles.
‘Effort to win Indonesia’s favor’
The agreement is a result of both countries responding to security dynamics in the region, particularly concerning issues related to the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific, said Khairul Fahmi, a defense analyst at the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies.
“This cooperation is especially important for maintaining balance in the region in light of the influence of major powers such as China and the United States,” he told Benar News.
“Indonesia is also seen as a significant player in geopolitical terms, making it crucial for maintaining regional stability. Indonesia holds strategic value.”
The benefits for Jakarta, he said, would be help with patrols to address transnational security threats such as terrorism, piracy, natural disasters, illegal fishing, and human trafficking.
As another analyst sees it, Australia struck the pact with Indonesia because Canberra may believe that Indonesia is not fully non-aligned as it claims.
“The collaboration represents Australia’s effort to win Indonesia’s favor, as Indonesia has appeared to lean towards China,” said Yohanes Sulaiman, a security expert from Jenderal Ahmad Yani University in Bandung, West Java.
“This military exercise is a tangible outcome of this cooperation, even though joint military exercises are a common practice.”
Super Garuda Shield
One such exercise is under way in Sidoarjo, East Java, with Australia’s ally, the United States.
Forces from Indonesia and the U.S. are taking part in annual Super Garuda Shield military exercises on Java island along with contingents from eight other counties, as Washington looks to limit Beijing’s influence in the region and Indonesia seeks to bolster its alliances.
Altogether, 5,500 troops from the 10 countries are participating while 12 other nations, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region, have sent observers to the war games, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
In November 2023, the U.S. and Indonesia signed a new defense cooperation agreement as Washington looked to counter Beijing’s regional influence. The Pentagon said Super Garuda Shield would help in “solidifying the U.S.-Indonesia major defense partnership and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The Indonesian military said the exercise, which runs from Aug. 26 to Sept. 6, serves as a platform for building trust and confidence among participating militaries.
“Super Garuda Shield in 2024 is a means to create and build mutual trust in the military sector, strengthen bilateral military-to-military relations, and multilateral relations,” said Air Marshal Widyargo Ikoputra, deputy commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Education and Training Command.
A U.S. contingent of 2,500 service members is joining about 3,000 troops from Indonesia, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Observers from Malaysia and the Philippines, both of which have territorial disputes with China over areas of the South China Sea, will be monitoring the exercise, as will representatives from Thailand.
Super Garuda Shield aims to enhance the ability to plan and execute joint operations, improve interoperability between Indonesian and U.S. forces, and foster cooperation across all domains, including land, sea, air and cyberspace, Indonesia said.
The 2024 drills will include training to prepare the militaries for cyber threats. Indonesia has experienced severe cyber attacks in the past few years, which disrupted several government services.
“Indonesia benefits from this joint exercise as it provides an opportunity to increase defense capacity,” defense analyst Fahmi, from the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies said.
At the same time, Indonesia is playing a crucial role in maintaining neutrality and preventing escalation in the region, he added.
Policy of non-alignment
One way Indonesia is doing that is by seeking to foster ties with different partners, said Abdul Rahman Yaacob, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
For instance, while Jakarta and Canberra signed the Defense Cooperation Agreement on Thursday, earlier in the week Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak said in an interview with Japan’s Nikkei that a joint exercise with China might also start next year.
“Indonesia’s strategic culture is to emphasize non-alignment in dealings with major powers, maintaining defense engagements with various partners, and avoiding military alliances,” Yaacob told Radio Free Asia, a BenarNews affiliate.
“Every ASEAN country has their own dynamics,” the analyst said, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
