A CRITICAL REVIEW OF “INDONESIA’S DEFENCE
DIPLOMACY: HARNESSING THE HEDGING STRATEGY AGAINST
REGIONAL UNCERTAINITIES” BY IIS GINDARSAH
(the writer’s name)
1.1 Research Paper Identity
Title : Indonesia’s Defence Diplomacy: Harnessing the Hedging Strategy
Against Regional Uncertainities.
Author : Iis Gandarsih
Publication : RSIS Publication
Year : 2015
Aims : The purpose of this study is to seek the narrow strategy of Indonesia’s
defence diplomacy in which related to the security and stability of the
ASEAN region and its implication for Singapore and others.
Findings : This study shows that Indonesia’s defence diplomacy serves two
agenda of hedging strategy, strategic approach and armyforce
advancement. Indonesian’s defence and security officials look to consider the
impact of geopolitical changes while sustaining the uncertainity and the
defensive capability.
1.2 Introduction
The geographic condition of Indonesia has been impacted the Indonesia’s
geopolitical developments which is seems inherently vulnerable. The domination of two
superpower states, U.S. and China, have been controlled the whole geopolitical
strategics in the East Asia recently. While the increasing pace of bilateral trades, the
Indonesian governments still aware regarding the U.S. domination effects especially in
regional security. Furthermore, the conflict with the China in South China Sea have
stimulated the awareness towards the harmonious climate surrounding Eastern Asia and
the stability each nation in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
According to the Iis Gandarsih (2015) within her paper, it depicts that
Indonesian governments relies on the defense diplomacy as the first priority national
defense system rather than establishing the solid military base. It can be seen from the
program that has been developed and applied by Indonesian government to stregthen the
relationship between other countries such as armyforce exchange, built the strong
networking, sea patrols and so on.
1.3 Theoretical Framework
The idea of the tactical assumes a significant part in foreign relations is not
really new. Generally, it has been a method for accomplishing an administration's
unfamiliar and security strategy either through the undermined or genuine utilization of
pressure in discretion. "Defense Diplomacy" had been obvious during the
developmental history of Indonesia. The country's tactical missions against the Dutch
and U.K powers in West Papua and the Alliance of Malaya were the instrumental for
President Sukarno's enemy of radical international strategy. During the dictator regime,
New Order, Indonesian intrusion of East Timor was part of President Suharto's enemy
of socialist approach stand and key direction to the US.
Indonesian government have marked the defence diplomacy as the first priority
lately. With the idea that diplomacy is the nation's first line of guarding the nation
security, it suggests that defence diplomacy strategy is a critical methods for struggle
counteraction. On the 2008, the Defence White Paper, an offical paper that depicts the
diplomacy rules, further highlights the layers of Indonesian defence diplomacy further
features the layers of Indonesian safeguard tact. The primary layer is military-to-
military binds with ASEAN nations. The subsequent layer includes safeguard and
military collaboration with outside powers, including Australia, China, Russia, South
Korea and the US. The White Paper additionally consider the Indonesian military's
arrangement in the United Nation states which supported harmony keeping tasks as a
component of the country's protection tact. These are sort of the agenda that has been
marked as the annual appointment where many states resembles to discuss such various
purposes:
Table 1. Defense Diplomacy Activities
Defense Diplomacy Activities
- Bilateral and multilateral relation between civilian defence and senior military
officers
- Defence appointment attachments to other countries
- The agreement of bilateral defence cooperation
- Training the military force and civilian
- Deployment of armyforces training
- Provision of military equipment
- The relation of multilateral and bilateral in focusing on military exercise or
training
- Placement of liaisons in defense and military establishment of partner states
- The exchange of army units, port calls
- Probision of advice and expertise on controlling the military forces, defence
management and military technical areas
Source : Andrew Cottey et al (2004)
On the other hand, many experts also disucussed regarding the confidence
building and the conflict prevention. This movement can be seen as the lollw-cost and
low-risk instrument to shape the amicable defence and interconnection between other
states in terms of security, while it also can lessen the international conflicts.
Table 2. Defence Diplomacy as A Means of Conflict Prevention
Defence Diplomacy as A Means of Conlfict Prevention
- Military cooperation in order to strengthen the broader partnership, mutual
trust and commitment
- Transparency of military cooperation can introduce to a nel level of defence
relationship, specifically with the intentions and nation’s capacity
- Defence diplomacy can build and reinforce the perception of common
interests
- Military acts can support the defence reforms amongst parter states
- Military cooperation is able to change the mindsets of partner states
armyforces
- Defence assistance is likely applicable as an incentive to establish the
connection in other regions
Source: Andrew Cottey et al (2004)
However, defense or "military diplomacy" must find the zero balance between
foreign diplomatic agenda and a country's security objectives. From this traditional
standpoint, weapon transfers are "a foreign policy large" aimed at increasing the
leverage of diplomatic ways and political clout. An arms contract encompasses not
merely just the purchase of army weapons, but also additional long-term commitments
such as make a schedule regarding the army training and maintanance amenities,
ammunition supply and other specific equipments, availability of capability upgrades,
and techonological transfer. This impilcatons, both receiver states and supplying states
can foster and keep the military-to-military ties.
2. Results and Discussion
2.1 Indonesia’s Security Concerns and Policy Direction
It is evident that despite the geostratgeic importance and the economics
potential, Indonesia remain vulnerable to the development of geopolitical and security
obstacles. There are four points related to the Indonesia’s Security concerns, they are:
1) The rise of China power as the paramount aspect of the continuity strategic
changes in East Asia.
2) Sea conflict has been increasingly significant towards the Indonesia areas
security and its sovereignity.
3) The government of Indonesia is comprehensively concern about the trends
of regional military base built-up.
4) The unpredictable nexus amongst conventional and non-customary security
issues would possibly confuse the Indonesia’s strategic landscape.
In the midst of these regional uncertainty, the Indonesian government maintains
its “independent and active” foreign policy stance. According to Law No. 17/2007, the
basic aim of the Indonesian government in its external interactions is the preservation of
the country's "strategic autonomy”. The law, in particular, emphasizes Indonesia's desire
for "international peace and stability," despite its fears about the growth of "hegemonic
strength" and persistent distrust among the huge powers. Having said that, the
Indonesian government supports a cooperative approach to international affairs over
military solutions to regional issues.
On this occassions, Indonesia emerges as to adopt a hedging strategy to stay
away from a condition where it must decide to line up with certain states at the expense
of another. Despite the intricacies of the region, Indonesian foreign policymakers seems
to believe that forming a "security community" is the best way to alleviate tensions and
avert military confrontation in Southeast Asia. Jakarta encourages the "fundamental
principles on how the countries of East Asia shall conduct themselves, such as non-use
of force, transparency, and accountability" in order to build a norms-based regional
security order. The idea is to boost the regional cohesion while maintaining peaceful
and benign major power relations.
Indonesia is probably not going to concede to a hostile situation toward different
nations in the greater part of the time. Therefore, the terms of “engangement and
regional integration” mechanism will be the solution as a realist-style implication to
make a balance in the form of the advancement of military and security cooperation.
Through this strategy, Indonesia governement saves a greatest scope of key option to
accomplish its unfamiliar and security strategy schedule.
2.2 Recent Developments of Indonesia’s Multilateral Defence Diplomacy
According to the Indonesia Defence Minister perspectives, the fundamental role
of ASEAN mechanism is to provide a “strategic space” and calculate the “technological
advancement” among Southeast Asian states and extra-regional powers. In the late 2009
and 2014, Indonesia plays a crucial role in the ASEAN security or defence consultative
forums which focuses on institutional amenities, tradional security, cross-cutting issues
and non-tradional security.
The agenda or focus of ASEAN's official publications, as well as Indonesia's
participation in ASEAN-centered regional security dialogues, are key indicators of
Indonesia's recent multilateral defense diplomacy in terms of strategic orientation.
According to the previous indicator, the regional organization has released 149
publications or 25 documents on a yearly basis over the last six years.
Moreover, Indonesia has been a main proponent of expanded cooperation
amongst regional protection establishments, believing that none of the regional
international locations can resolve growing protection issues alone. This consists of a
sequence of intra-ASEAN defence dialogues, ASEAN-Plus protection talks, and
regional occasions connected to the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and East Asian
Summit (EAS).
Indonesian authorities have been more and more seemed in enticing essential
powers mutually on protection diplomacy worries as multilateral protection
engagements develop in Southeast Asia. In the ultimate six years, there have been 154
protection or defense-related talks with extra-regional companions beneath the ASEAN-
Plus umbrella.
Between 2009 and 2014, the ARF hosted a common of 19 multilateral activities
per year with Indonesian protection and protection leaders. It has made great
contributions to fostering protection transparency to date via a range of cooperative and
realistic actions, which includes an annual protection coverage declaration, everyday e-
book of a protection white paper, and stronger military-to-military connections. The
ARF's overseas affairs ministers adopted a Plan of Action in 2010 to amplify
cooperation in 5 areas: catastrophe relief, counter-terrorism and transnational crimes,
maritime security, non-proliferation and disarmament, and peacekeeping operations.
Indonesian students have participated in the ARF in addition to a collection of everyday
Track-1 periods – together with the predominant contribution of the ASEAN Institute of
Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS) and Council for Security
Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP).
In overview, Indonesia's multilateral defense engagements have been
contributed to East Asia's ongoing protection neighborhood constructing process. While
advocating greater engagement of primary nations in the ADMM and ARF, Jakarta
additionally backed the entry of Australia and India in the EAS and influenced Russia
and the US to be a part of the regional organization in 2011. Indonesia depends on
ASEAN's regional tactics for an "omni-enmeshment" method to bringing the primary
powers into a set of regional requirements in order to preserve a stable and together
really useful relationship.
2.3 New Trends in Indonesia’s Bilateral Defence Diplomacy
Despite of the lengthy historic ride of Indonesia’s bilateral defence interactions,
Indonesia governemts have a tendency to hire the defence officers to work at the
Indonesian embassies and take a phase at posting at the UN headquarters. These army
backgroudn employee play an vital position in enhancing the amicable working
relationship between Indonesia and host countries. Between 2009 and 2013, this learn
about notes that the U.S. had carried out a complete of 385 bilateral defence
interactions. This variety is greater considerable in contrast to a preceding study, in
which solely 88 things to do took vicinity because 2003 till 2008 (Syawfi, 2009).
Furthermore, the increase of optimism to decorate the navy modernisation
programmes has grow to be a fashion that require the armyforces to harness new
missions and state-of-the-art defence techonology. With a robust belief, Indonesia’s
defence industrial cooperation has risen unexpectedly between 2009 to 2013. It is show
up that Indonesia and different states such as U.S., Russia, and different European
nations grew to become a tradional parters that provide a navy furnish such as current
weapon system.
It is pursuing two coverage proposals on protection procurement in order to
enhance the country's autonomy in phrases of army equipment. Firstly, Jakarta
diversifies the military's base off-shore sources to avoid turning into unduly reliant on a
few weaponery providers. Secondly, it mandates “technical offset” applications for huge
protection imports and encourages worldwide protection contractors to create industrial
ties with neighborhood hands producers. Troughout this proposal, Indonesia
policymakers of Defence are searching for to much less the danger of hands imports
whereas re-establishing the nearby defence industrial bases.
Jakarta is not likely to pass by its normal protection companions as it strives to
hold diplomatic leverage on any fingers suppliers. With the country's democratic growth
and ongoing geopolitical shifts in East Asia, the Indonesian authorities used to be
ultimately capable to canvass support. Support from the worldwide neighborhood for
the rest of palms embargoes. In current years, it has currently secured bilateral palms
offers with the US and European international locations for F-16 fighter jets, F2000-
class corvettes, Leopard2 fundamental fighting tanks, and the Caesar 155-mm self-
propelled artillery system.
Indonesia has developed robust military-to-military interactions with regional
nations in Southeast Asia. Apart from unresolved borderlines and unresolved historic
issues, protection diplomacy focuses on securing regional protection as nicely as
territorial integrity. Singapore is Indonesia's most vital Southeast Asian protection
partner. Both international locations behavior rigorous cooperative navy workouts and
coaching applications on every year groundwork to enhance their interoperability in
areas of mutual hobby together with catastrophe response and marine safety.
Bilateral protection industrial cooperation has additionally aided Indonesia's
crucial industries in current years. On one hand, Indonesian protection officers suggest
for offset-structured industrial partnerships in all protection imports in order to allow
localized army tools manufacture. Local protection corporations have benefited from
subcontracting exercise for renovation and fabrication of components and components,
nearby assembly, and knowledge, facilities, and science switch in current years.
Generally, the improvement of countrywide defence skills has been rather
boosted due to the affect of Indonesia's bilateral protection diplomacy which invloved in
numerous appointment and make a settlement with different states. Indonesian hands
producers collaborate with overseas companions on new navy tools lookup and
development. It focuses on the proliferation of technology, such as warship, multi-role
jet-fighters, tank, missile systems, sensor or radars, conversation units and so on.
3. Conclusion
In the midst of this crisis, the Indonesian authorities continues an extraordinary
overseas coverage varieties which appears aggressive as properly as indepenent. This
normative precept forbids the U.S. from taking aspects in any exceptional strength
rivalry. Despite Indonesia does not have the recent authority to dictate the strategic
course of first-rate strength relations, it is not going that it would want for China and the
United States to grow to be competitors in Southeast Asia. Because none of the nations
in the area have been in a position to deal with the new safety threats, Jakarta considers
regional collaboration to be a workable method of decreasing strategic dangers posed
via geopolitical shifts.
This paper suggests that the Indonesia's protection diplomacy has been an
indispensable movement in harnessing the hedging method agenda. On one hand,
Indonesian protection and safety personnel take part in ASEAN's multilateral tactics to
aid in the institutionalization of regional requirements of behavior, such as confidence,
non-interference, cooperative security, and peaceable dispute decision are all abilities
that might also be learned. Further and greater importantly, Indonesia has been
upgrading its army abilities and indigenous strategic industries via bilateral protection
diplomacy. Jakarta hopes to mitigate the influence of geopolitical shifts whilst
additionally preserving the country's protection functionality towards regional threats in
this way.
By way of conclusion, Indonesia's ambition for a peaceable administration of
ongoing geopolitical exchange in East Asia has been hampered by way of the rapid
tempo of army modernisation, unresolved maritime conflicts, and a lack of self
assurance in brilliant strength interactions.
References
XAndrew Cottey & Anthony Foster (2004). Reshaping Defence Diplomacy: New Roles
for Military Cooperation and Assistance. Adelphi Paper No. 365 (London: IISS), p.
7.
Iis Gandarsih (2015). No. 293 Indonesia’S Defence Diplomacy: Harnessing the
Hedging Strategy Against Regional Uncertainties Iis Gindarsah S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies Singapore. June.
Syawfi (2009). Aktifitas Diplomasi Pertahanan Indonesia dalam Pemenuhan Tujuan-
Tujuan Pertahanan Negara: 2003- 2008. [Indonesia’s Defence Diplomacy for
Achieving State Defence Objectives], Master’s thesis, University of Indonesia,
p. 14
