The Vientiane Joint Declaration, adopted in the Laotian capital at the 18th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in November 2024, reflects ASEAN member states’ efforts to address regional security challenges.
As a founding ASEAN member and regional leader, Indonesia plays a key role in advancing the bloc’s objectives. By leveraging ASEAN platforms such as ADMM and ADMM-Plus — which includes the defense ministers of ASEAN dialogue partners Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia, South Korea and the United States — Indonesia prioritizes regional resilience, maritime security and multilateral trust amid rising geopolitical tensions, analysts and officials say.
“Indonesia’s active participation in the 18th ADMM shows Indonesia’s strong commitment to maintaining political and security stability, both regionally and globally,” Indonesia’s Defense Ministry stated.
The joint declaration acknowledges ASEAN as a primary force in addressing traditional and nontraditional security challenges, Budi Riyanto, an international relations lecturer at the London School of Public Relations in Jakarta, told FORUM.
“If you look at policy, Indonesia has always made ASEAN as the cornerstone,” he said.
Jakarta’s defense and security cooperation initiatives underscore its engagement with ASEAN-led mechanisms, said Beni Sukadis, an analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies. “Indonesia is heavily involved in the expert working group forums of both ADMM and ADMM-Plus in spawning ideas of partnership and cooperation in disaster mitigation issues facing climate change,” he told FORUM.
The South China Sea is a focus of the Vientiane declaration, as well as of Indonesia’s efforts to enhance maritime security and ensure stability. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims almost all of the resource-rich global trade route in defiance of a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated the PRC’s arbitrary territorial assertion. Beijing has intensified its harassment of civilian and military vessels of other claimant states, including Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, operating lawfully within their respective exclusive economic zones.
“Indonesia is not a claimant in the South China Sea issue,” Riyanto said. “But Indonesia has an interest in maintaining cohesiveness in the region, especially in ASEAN.”
According to Sukadis, Jakarta has consistently called for adherence to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In early 2024, then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo advocated for accelerating negotiations on a South China Sea code of conduct to prevent conflicts in the region.
“Indonesia will continue to fight for the stability of the South China Sea region through multilateral forums and adherence to international law,” Sukadis said, emphasizing that Jakarta’s neutral stance enables it mediate and foster dialogue among conflicting parties.
The Vientiane Joint Declaration also places an emphasis on combating nontraditional security threats, including climate change, food insecurity and cyber risks.
A major cyberattack in June 2024 targeting Indonesian government offices highlighted the urgent need for robust cyber defenses. “The cyber issue has become central to ADMM,” Riyanto said. “This benefits Indonesia because we get knowledge, best practices of new technology, as well as a stronger network, especially from more developed countries.”
In disaster mitigation and response, Indonesia is leveraging its expertise and collaboration with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, as well demonstrating leadership through such initiatives as the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change, Sukadis said. Indonesia’s experience, best practices and disaster management agency work well between civil and military functions, he said.
Jakarta’s emphasis on multilateral trust aligns with its broader defense diplomacy goals, according to Chairil Tangguh, a defense analyst at Indonesia’s Bina Nusantara University.
The military exercise Super Garuda Shield, for example, “is a testament to Indonesia’s dedication to defense diplomacy, involving partners like the U.S., Australia and Japan,” Tangguh told FORUM. “This exercise showcases Indonesia’s capacity to lead multilateral efforts while maintaining a nonaligned stance.”
