Australia and Indonesia are enhancing their defense relations by fostering operational synergy and regional security cooperation under the nations’ recent defense cooperation agreement (DCA).
The DCA, which builds on the bilateral Lombok Treaty of 2006 and previous defense cooperation frameworks, facilitates enhanced interoperability, legal protections for personnel operating on each other’s territory and comprehensive military exercises.
“This agreement signifies that we want to maintain and improve our close relations and excellent friendship,” then-Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said at the August 2024 signing ceremony at the Indonesian Military Academy in Magelang. Prabowo, now the nation’s president, emphasized the pact’s role in addressing shared security threats and promoting regional peace.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles called the DCA “the most significant defense agreement in the history of our bilateral relations.”
Exercise Keris Woomera 2024, which concluded in mid-November, exemplified the upgraded cooperation. Involving about 2,000 personnel from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the drills featured air, maritime, amphibious and land operations, including a live-fire demonstration with tanks, artillery, infantry and fighter aircraft in Indonesia’s East Java province.
“This joint exercise is also part of military diplomacy, where we are building trust and strengthening the partnership between Indonesia and Australia,” TNI Lt. Col. Empri Airudin said in a news release. ADF Capt. Chris Doherty said in a statement that the exercise “bolstered our close defence cooperation with Indonesia, strengthening our interoperability and demonstrating we are ready to work alongside our Indonesian partners.”
The exercise also included training to bolster humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities.
The DCA’s focus on interoperability, intelligence sharing and joint operations is strategically aligned with addressing shared challenges, including maritime security and disaster response, Justin Hastings, a University of Sydney professor, wrote in an October 2024 essay published by the Australia-based East Asia Forum. The nations are concerned about escalating tensions in the South China Sea, particularly over the People’s Republic of China’s territorial claims near Indonesia’s Natuna Islands.
“Both Australia and Indonesia tend to support multilateral solutions to international problems — upholding the validity and implementing enforcement of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Hastings wrote.
The DCA focuses on technology transfers, training and defense industry collaboration, areas where Indonesia seeks modernization and diversification. The agreement’s provisions for personnel and operational logistics, meanwhile, are crucial “to produce actual cooperative operations,” Hastings noted.
The DCA reflects the growing intensity of bilateral military cooperation over the past decade, particularly in education, training and joint operations, according to Indonesia’s Defense Ministry. Notable examples include the placement of TNI cadets at the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Royal Military College, Duntroon, a planned joint U.N. mission, and increasingly complex joint exercises involving single and combined service operations.
The live-fire drill in East Java was “the largest and most complex” the two forces have conducted in Indonesia, according to the Australian Embassy.
“Following the success of Exercise Keris Woomera, Australia and Indonesia are even more committed to growing the breadth and depth of our defence and security relationship,” ADF Col. Judd Finger said in a news release.
