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Maintaining US-RI ties
Austin’s Southeast Asian trip left Indonesia in the cold as Austin did not even stop by in Jakarta.
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In this file photo taken on March 8, 2016 United States Army General Lloyd Austin III, commander of the US Central Command, speaks during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, DC. US President Joe Biden has chosen retired General Lloyd Austin to head his Defense Department.
(AFP/ Brendan Smialowski)
T
he first outing of a new head of government is said to reflect his or her country’s priorities. This also applies to other high-ranking officials, such as defense ministers.
The United States Defense Secretary Llyod Austin is touring Southeast Asia by visiting Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. This is the first visit to the region by a Cabinet secretary of US President Joe Biden, as previously Deputy State Secretary Wendy Sherman visited Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand in late May and early June.
While Singapore is a long-time ally of the US, Vietnam is considered a key partner in US efforts to contain China. There are still overlapping claims between China and Vietnam over parts of the South China Sea.
Then-US defense secretary Jim Mattis promised a waiver for the Countering America’s Adversary Through Sanction Act (CAATSA) to allow Vietnam to procure more Russian weapons systems so that Vietnam had a better leverage to counter China.
Mattis also promised CAATSA waivers for India and Indonesia.
The last leg of Austin’s visit will be the Philippines, another strong US ally in the region, despite an apparent shift during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency with his ambivalence toward stronger relations with China.
Austin’s Southeast Asian trip has left Indonesia in the cold as Austin did not even stop by in Jakarta. Does this mean ASEAN’s largest member is less important? Not necessarily.
The US and Indonesia already signed a strategic partnership in 2015 although perhaps not so much in the defense sector due to Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy, which allegedly prevents closer defense relations.
However, ally or not, militaries from both countries are already working together in the field and are involved in major exercises.
About 300 personnel from the US Army have arrived in Palembang, South Sumatra, before heading to the Indonesian Army’s training ground in Baturaja, also in South Sumatra, for the 2021 Exercise Garuda Shield, to be held despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
In total, some 2,000 US Army personnel will participate in the joint exercise, which will also take place in Amborawang, East Kalimantan, and Makalisung, North Sulawesi. This is the largest Garuda Shield since the exercises started in 2009.
Commanding general of the US Army in the Pacific, Gen. Charles A. Flynn, is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony in Aug. 1 for the two-week drill.
In June, F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters from air forces of both countries held the two-week Exercise Cope West 2021 at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force base in Pekanbaru, Riau. Also in June the Marine Corps of the two countries held their regular joint exercise at the Indonesian Marine Corps’ training ground in Baluran, Situbondo, East Java.
These military exercises show that on the military level, the long-standing cooperation between the two countries remains intact. Not to mention the various joint exercises that are held in the US, both bilaterally and multilaterally, and multiple training and education programs that benefit Indonesian personnel.
While Indonesia might not be able to fully tap into US resources due to Jakarta’s foreign policy, the US has proved itself as an important partner in the defense sector. It is up to Indonesia to fully optimize the ties within the constraints of its own foreign policy.
