Indonesia-Australia Agree To Increase Army Cooperation, Says KSAD Dudung

KSAD General Dudung Abdurachman/Antara

JAKARTA - Indonesia and Australia have agreed to increase bilateral cooperation in the defense sector of the Army.

The agreement was revealed in a meeting between the Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General Dudung Abdurachman and the Australian Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Rick Burr via video conference, Friday, February 11.

During the meeting, Dudung expressed his belief that the cooperation between the two Army agencies could further develop and improve in the future.

According to him, this relationship will be very useful, especially in increasing cooperation in the fields of training, education and dialogue between the two countries' army units.

"After the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the best time to improve and continue relations between the two armies; and promise to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia," Dudung said in a statement received in Jakarta, quoted by Antara.

Meanwhile, Rick Burr said the pilot talks related to friendship and partnership, which he had done with the previous head of staff, could be continued in the Dudung and subsequent leadership periods.

Burr said that there needs to be an exchange of soldiers and instructors in order to improve the quality of human resources (HR) of both parties. Responding to this, Dudung agreed to maintain and maintain good relations between the two countries in the army defense sector.

"In the future, let's do joint activities that are training or other activities. So, the relationship between the Indonesian-Australian Army will be better," said Dudung.

This collaboration will prioritize training and education. As friendly countries, Indonesia and Australia must have the same perception and combine tactics and techniques to be developed, including education to improve quality at all levels, including officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted men.

"This exercise must have the same perception, education is not only for officers but also non-commissioned officers and enlisted men combined," said Dudung.​​​​​​To follow up on the meeting, Dudung is scheduled to visit Australia in April 2022.