Indonesia and US Sign Defense Pact Amid Airspace Dispute

On April 13, 2026, Indonesia and the United States signed the Mutual Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) in Washington. Signed by Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the pact focuses on military modernization, capacity building, and operational cooperation to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Following the signing, a diplomatic rift emerged between Indonesia's Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs over a U.S. proposal to grant American military aircraft blanket overflight access. The proposed system would replace individual case-by-case clearances with a notification-based process and a direct hotline between U.S. Pacific Air Forces and Indonesian air operation centers for exercises and crisis response.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned in a confidential letter that such access could entangle Jakarta in foreign conflicts in the South China Sea or expose the country to retaliation from Iran during U.S.-Israeli conflicts. While the Ministry of Defense described the proposal as a non-binding preliminary draft or "letter of intent," the Foreign Ministry maintained that Indonesia has no policy granting unrestricted airspace access to any foreign party.

Government officials, including spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang and official Rico Ricardo Sirait, have emphasized that any cooperation remains subject to national sovereignty and internal deliberation. This deadlock occurred while President Prabowo Subianto conducted diplomatic visits to Moscow and Paris to secure energy supplies and strategic security cooperation.