Indonesian and Thai Air Forces are enhancing their defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on space and cyber defense, joint exercises, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). During a recent visit to Thailand, Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal Tonny Harjono met with Royal Thai Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul to discuss the services’ expanding collaboration.
The mid-September 2024 meeting highlighted the growing emphasis on regional cooperation as both countries face complex and rapidly evolving security challenges. Discussions focused on promoting Indo-Pacific stability, according to the Indonesia Embassy in Bangkok.
A priority was enhancing the joint military exercise Elang Thainesia, a mainstay of Indonesia-Thailand defense cooperation since the 1980s, the Embassy stated. The biennial exercise, alternating between the nations, aims to enhance the Air Forces’ interoperability and professionalism.
Both nations “operate many weapon systems that originate from the West, especially the United States,” including F-16 fighter jets, defense analyst Ade P Marboen told FORUM. That makes Elang Thainesia vital for developing common operational standards and trust between the Air Forces, the Jakarta-based analyst added.
Air Marshal Harjono’s visit also reinforced the exercise’s role in preparing the Air Forces for joint response scenarios, said Nikolaus Loy, an international relations expert from UPN “Veteran” University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. “The Elang Thainesia exercise is aimed at improving coordination capabilities and fostering mutual attention to jointly face rapidly changing threats,” he told FORUM, both “traditional and non-traditional.”
Plans to increase space cooperation are aligned with Indonesia’s strategic location on the equator, Marboen said, which enhances the country’s potential as a rocket launch site. Such cooperation would encompass satellite communication, remote sensing and training for space operations personnel.
Both countries face growing cyber threats and seek to enhance their defense mechanisms, Loy said. “ASEAN, including Indonesia, is becoming a target for cybercrime,” he said, necessitating information sharing, cyber intelligence and strengthened network security. Indonesia and Thailand together aim to strengthen regional resilience against cyberattacks and safeguard critical national infrastructure.
In addition to military exercises and defense technology cooperation, both countries underscored the importance of disaster response coordination within ASEAN. ASEAN’s HADR initiatives have gained importance, especially given catastrophic natural disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
The Air Forces might establish a regional disaster management command center to bolster preparedness and response efforts, Marboen said. “Both countries have placed this as an important priority,” he said.
Joint HADR efforts are particularly significant because ASEAN is not a defense pact, Loy said. “HADR is functional so that political and sovereignty sensitivity is low, but through bilateral approaches, coordination is easier,” he said. This approach reduces concerns about sovereignty while enabling ASEAN militaries to collectively address humanitarian crises.
Bilateral defense relationships serve as a model for regional cooperation, especially regarding disputes in the South China Sea, Loy said. “Indonesia does not have territorial disputes with Thailand, but five ASEAN countries do, for example, with the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea,” he said. “This cooperation goes beyond enhancing defense capabilities; it also fosters mutual understanding and builds regional confidence.”
