In Indonesia, leaked plan for US military overflights triggers sovereignty row
Internal warnings reveal a government split over risks that blanket access for US warplanes could drag Indonesia into foreign conflicts
Indonesia’s defence ministry on Monday acknowledged the existence of the plan but said it had not been finalised, describing it as a draft “letter of intent” still undergoing review. It further stressed that the government maintained full control of Indonesian airspace.
On Wednesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said Indonesia had no policy granting unrestricted access to its airspace to any foreign party, and that the US proposal remained under internal consideration. She said any form of cooperation with Washington would remain subject to Indonesia’s national mechanisms and procedures.
Behind the scenes, divisions have emerged. According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, Indonesia’s foreign ministry sent a letter marked urgent and confidential to the defence ministry in early April warning that granting blanket overflight rights risked entangling Jakarta in foreign conflicts.