New Partnership between RI and US, Focus on Military Readiness and Operations

JAKARTA - Indonesia and the United States have agreed to expand defense cooperation to a more concrete level through the establishment of a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP). This agreement includes military modernization, capacity building, troop education, to operational cooperation.

The agreement was reached when the Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin met with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, Monday, April 13 local time.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the two countries agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a more structured and strategic major defense partnership.

MDCP is built on three main pillars, namely military modernization and capacity building, professional military training and education, and operational training and cooperation. All cooperation is carried out with the principle of mutual respect for the sovereignty of each country.

In addition, both countries are also committed to expanding the scope of bilateral and multilateral exercises, including Super Garuda Shield, to strengthen interoperability and maintain regional stability.

Parnell added that increasing training for special forces and strengthening professional military education were also important parts of this cooperation.

The MDCP agreement confirms a new direction for the Indonesian-US defense partnership which does not only focus on joint exercises, but also on strengthening the long-term capacity and operational readiness of both countries.