France and Indonesia have elevated their bilateral relationship with the launch of Joint Vision 2050, a landmark initiative unveiled during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Jakarta in late May 2025. Anchored in long-term strategic objectives, the pact signals a deepening of defense cooperation that could significantly influence the evolving security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.
Macron described the visit as a pivotal moment, noting that a newly signed letter of intent “could open up a new perspective” with orders for key French military exports, including fighter jets, submarines and frigates. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto emphasized France’s status as “one of Indonesia’s main partners in modernizing defense equipment,” underscoring a “joint commitment to maintaining regional stability.”
The defense partnership builds on recent Indonesian acquisitions of French assets. Jakarta has ordered 42 Rafale fighter jets and two Scorpène submarines, with the latter to be co-produced domestically in cooperation with state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL, according to Indonesian defense analyst Beni Sukadis. The deals, which were initiated during Prabowo’s tenure as defense minister, reflect Indonesia’s dual priorities of modernizing military capabilities while bolstering its defense industry.
Joint Vision 2050 “marks a mutual commitment to deepen cooperation in various strategic areas, including the defense industry, joint military exercises, and strengthening maritime security and defense technology,” Sukadis told FORUM.
He said the agreement reaches beyond arms sales, with expanded programs for joint training, technology transfer and defense education. Macron and Prabowo visited the Indonesian Military Academy in Magelang, highlighting efforts to enhance tactical and operational cooperation. France has invited Indonesian cadets to study at its military institutions and participate in joint training to boost interoperability and capacity building.
Dr. Jelang Ramadhan, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, told FORUM that “military cooperation and the purchase of a significant number of Rafale fighter jets strengthen Indonesia’s relationship with France,” while also extending France’s regional presence, especially in the South China Sea. “The basic reflection of ‘universal defense’… is that whoever controls the latest technology, then he will be the most superior,” Ramadhan said.
Through initiatives such as Joint Vision 2050, Indonesia “is building a more equal and strategic relationship, including through co-production, technology transfer and technical training,” Khairul Fahmi, co-founder of the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies in Surabaya, told FORUM. He said that reflects Jakarta’s intent to remain free of formal alliances while shaping Indo-Pacific security dynamics.
France’s long-term military presence in the region — underscored by recent deployments of the French Navy aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to Indonesian waters — reflects its broader Indo-Pacific strategy, analysts say.
“France’s presence is certainly a mirror of Europe’s presence in the region,” according to Dr. Muhammad Sya’roni Rofii of the University of Indonesia’s School of Strategic and Global Studies. “It can sustain the balance of power.”
Joint Vision 2050 could serve as a blueprint for regional defense collaboration, analysts say. The agreement reinforces Indonesia’s ambition for strategic autonomy, enhances France’s role in a critical region and portends a multipolar Indo-Pacific security framework increasingly shaped by long-term partnerships.
