Joint training base planned for Morotai Island
Singapore/Jakarta: Australia and Indonesia, which are increasingly getting closer on security issues, are fighting for World War II on the small island of Morotai. It plans to transform World War II-era defense facilities into a joint training base.
Defense Minister Richard Marles also announced in Jakarta on Thursday that an Indonesian with the rank of colonel will join Australian forces as deputy commander of the 1st Brigade in Darwin from early next year.
He said that of Australia’s three infantry brigades, the 1st Brigade interacted most closely with the annual rotation of US Marines.
These initiatives were flagged by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who signed the Joint Security Agreement with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in February, but details were scant.
The strategically located island of Morotai is located at the northernmost point of Indonesia’s North Maluku province and just south of the Philippines. In World War II, it was captured from the Japanese by Allied forces, including the Australians, and used as a base to liberate the Philippines.
Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the facilities would also be open to Singapore and the Philippines, which faces ongoing tensions with China in the South China Sea.
On a day of announcements, Indonesia and Australia now plan to expand their joint security cooperation to include Japan and Australia’s new security ally, Papua New Guinea.
Australia has always sought closer relations with Indonesia. But the moves detailed on Thursday underscore Prabowo’s willingness to forge stronger friendships in the region amid the rise of China and an unpredictable United States under Donald Trump.
The former general is also keen to play a bigger role in global affairs by enrolling Indonesia in Trump’s Peace Board and becoming the first leader to pledge troops for any peacekeeping force in war-torn Gaza.
Indonesia also maintains good relations with China, and Prabowo has met President Xi Jinping several times in Beijing, but he too has friction points with the South China Sea superpower.
“Indonesia will not sign up [developing a training base with Australia] “If it’s going to be openly provocative against China,” he said. Doctor Natalie SambhiHe is the managing director of Verve Research, an independent think tank.
“Given the location, it seems logical that the Philippines could use it. It is advantageous for the Indonesian armed forces to work together with the Philippines and Singapore, especially given Singapore’s professionalism and capacity.”
“However, there are questions worth asking, such as whether Indonesia would be allowed to invite China or other partners to use the facility and to what extent this might impact Indonesia’s sovereignty.”
Marles said the announcements were about focusing on the bilateral relationship “on our own terms.”
“This is not about any third country,” he said. “This is about building joint capacity between Indonesia and Australia.”
In April last year, a reputable military website janes The news that Russia wants to deploy warplanes to Indonesia’s easternmost Papua province created great excitement in Australia. Indonesia denied the story.
If Russia had made the request, Indonesia appears to have said no. The country remains completely disconnected from military power blocs. However, Prabowo is perceived as pushing the boundaries of doctrine in his own country, especially regarding the Peace Board.
Sjafrie said the opportunity to develop Morotai island, which would be used for land and sea training, had previously been presented to Singapore but was rejected. He said that a separate training facility will be established in North Kalimantan with this country.
Echoing earlier statements, Marles said the Australia-Indonesia relationship was at a high level, “characterized by the deepest friendships at the highest levels”.
“I think what’s different today is that there’s a clear understanding of the strategic value that each of us brings to the other,” Marles said.
“We understand that for Australia, our national security lies in the collective security of the ASEAN region and Southeast Asia, and of course Indonesia is at the heart of that. And for Indonesia, Australia provides strategic depth.”
Take notes directly from our foreign country reporters about things that make headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What’s on in the World Newsletter.
Zach Hope is a Southeast Asia correspondent. He is a former reporter for the Brisbane Times.Connect via email.
Karuni Rompies is deputy Indonesia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X.
