Indonesia signed letter but made no commitment to US on airspace access, defence minister says
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
JAKARTA: Indonesia's defence minister said on Tuesday (May 19) that he had signed a letter of intent last month with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on granting US military aircraft access to Indonesian airspace, but said no commitment was made.
The letter of intent signed in Washington mentioned respecting each country's territorial integrity, the need for a mechanism if Indonesia agreed to airspace access, and respect for local laws, Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told a parliamentary hearing.
"We made not a single commitment with the US on airspace. We uphold the constitution and our national interests," Sjafrie said.
The issue of overflight access created controversy in Indonesia last month. The foreign ministry warned the defence ministry that the proposal to give the US military 'blanket' permission to fly over Indonesian territory could risk entangling Jakarta in potential South China Sea conflicts, Reuters reported.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Sjafrie said Hegseth had made the request for the overflight access last year during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting. Hegseth had cited emergency reasons when he asked for the access, Sjafrie said without providing further details.
A request for comment was sent to the Pentagon. There was no immediate reply, and when the request was sent from Jakarta it was early morning Washington time and outside business hours.
After Hegseth and Sjafrie met in Washington last month, the Pentagon said the two countries had established a major defence cooperation partnership and listed a number of ways in which they would build defence ties.
Sjafrie said the partnership includes the modernisation of Indonesia's military, but "it does not mention any military equipment". He said the U.S. would help train Indonesian soldiers.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app