Indonesia discussing proposal allowing US military overflight in Indonesian airspace, defence ministry says
Several media outlets reported that the United States is seeking "blanket overnight access" for American military aircraft through Indonesian airspace, adding that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had approved the proposal.
JAKARTA: Indonesia and the United States are discussing a proposal to give US military aircraft access over Indonesian airspace, Indonesia's defence ministry said on Monday (Apr 13), adding that no deal has yet been reached.
The US is seeking "blanket overnight access" for American military aircraft through Indonesian airspace, several media outlets reported on Sunday, adding that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had approved the proposal.
The proposal will allegedly allow US aircraft overflight access in Indonesia's airspace for emergency operations, crisis response missions and jointly agreed-upon military exercises, the New Delhi-based Sunday Guardian reported on Apr 12.
The report was then picked up by several Indonesian outlets, including CNN Indonesia and the Jakarta Globe.
The documents further indicate that the agreement follows a meeting in February between Prabowo and US President Donald Trump in Washington, where Prabowo reportedly approved the proposal to allow US aircraft in Indonesia's airspace.
"US aircraft may transit immediately upon notification, until further deactivation notice by the United States," according to a document titled "Operationalizing US Overflight" that the US Department of War purportedly sent to the Indonesian defence ministry on Feb 26, as reported by the Sunday Guardian.
Responding to the reports, the defence ministry said in a statement that the two countries are still discussing the "Letter of Intent", and that there is only a preliminary draft that is being discussed internally. The draft is neither final nor binding, the ministry added.
Control over Indonesian airspace belongs to Indonesia, the ministry said, adding that deals with other countries will protect Indonesia's sovereignty and adhere to Indonesian law.
Rico Ricardo Sirait, a spokesman for Indonesia Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoedin, on Monday stressed that the document in circulation is "still in the initial design stage".
“The document is not a final agreement, does not yet have legally binding force, and cannot be used as the basis for official policy of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia,” Rico said in a statement, as reported by CNN Indonesia.
He added that any discourse, proposal, or draft cooperation mechanism must go through a careful, strict, and multi-layered review process before it can be further considered in accordance with existing mechanisms, authorities, and input from all relevant stakeholders.
The defence ministry urged the public to respond to information carefully and added that Indonesia remains committed to defense cooperation with all countries based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, and benefit, without compromising national interests and sovereignty.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to meet with his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin later on Monday, according to an advisory released by the US government.
