RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesia’s Minister of Defense, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, led the Indonesian delegation in a meeting with the United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. The meeting discussed reinforcing defense cooperation between Indonesia and the United States within the framework of a bilateral relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and benefit, on Monday, April 13, 2026.

In an official statement received by RRI VOI on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, the Head of the Defense Information Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, stated that the meeting serves as a line of departure to build up the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program through capacity building and human investment in education and training, including for special forces.

“This discussion aligns with the spirit of strengthening Indonesia–United States defense relations aimed at supporting peace, regional stability, and enhancing the professionalism of both armed forces while respecting the sovereignty and national interests of each country,” he said.

As a follow-up, a Joint Statement was announced on the agreement to elevate defense cooperation between the two countries into a Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) between the United States and Indonesia, formalized on April 13, 2026. The MDCP serves as a guiding framework to expand bilateral defense cooperation in a more strategic manner.

Rico further explained that under this framework, Indonesia and the United States are exploring mutually agreed initiatives, including capacity-building cooperation, next-generation defense technology, enhanced operational readiness, professional military education, and stronger personnel-to-personnel defense relations of both countries.

“For Indonesia, this cooperation is seen as an opportunity to strengthen national defense capacity, while remaining within the framework of an independent and active foreign policy, national interests, and full respect for state sovereignty,” he explained.

Prior to the ministers’ meeting, the Indonesian Minister of Defense and the U.S. Secretary of War witnessed the signing of cooperation document, namely a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), between the Director General of Defense Strategy of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Major General TNI Agus Widodo, and the DPAA Director, Kelly K. McKeague, as the U.S. counterpart, in

The DPAA cooperation essentially represents a humanitarian and historical effort involving research, search, recovery, identification, and repatriation of the remains of U.S. military personnel from World War II located in Indonesian territory. This reflects a commitment to humanitarian values and moral responsibility to return the remains to their families in the United States.

In practice, such cooperation is carried out only with written approval from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia through the Ministry of Defense and must fully comply with Indonesian laws and regulations. Additionally, DPAA activities are expected to consider local community interests, environmental protection, historical values, and provide social, academic, and economic benefits to the areas where activities take place.

Meanwhile, regarding the Letter of Intent (LoI) on Overflight Clearance, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense emphasized that it is a proposal from the United States, which is currently under internal consideration by the Indonesian government.

Rico added, “The proposal is being carefully reviewed based on national interests, Indonesia’s foreign policy principles, and state sovereignty. During the deliberation process, Indonesia has made several important adjustments and emphasized that the document is non-binding and does not automatically take effect, and still requires further discussion through applicable technical mechanisms and national procedures.”

The Indonesian Ministry of Defense stressed that any potential cooperation, including those still in the proposal and discussion stage, will always be framed within the principles of safeguarding the sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, national interests, and compliance with applicable national and international law. Therefore, all future steps will be taken cautiously, measurably, and through official government mechanisms in accordance with the authority of relevant institutions.

Furthermore, Brigadier General Rico stated that the Indonesian Ministry of Defense views its defense relationship with the United States as part of defense diplomacy that continues to be developed in a balanced and constructive manner. However, all forms of cooperation must provide tangible benefits for Indonesia and must not compromise the fundamental principles of state sovereignty, national policy independence, and Indonesia’s consistent stance of maintaining an independent and active foreign policy.