Inside the Indonesian-US Defense Minister Talks

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin explained the details of his meeting with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on April 13, 2026. One of the topics discussed was lobbying for air corridors.

In front of the legislators of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I, the Defense Minister revealed that Hegseth had discussed granting permission for U.S. soldiers to fly over Indonesian airspace for specific purposes. "He asked, is it permissible to fly across Indonesian airspace if we need to for certain purposes?" Sjafrie quoted Hegseth's words on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

During the discussion, he continued, Hegseth also mentioned that the Pentagon would comply with Indonesian regulations if permission is granted to fly over Indonesian airspace.

At that time, Sjafrie stated that despite the hope, Hegseth's inquiries should still be reported to Prabowo Subianto, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, as he is the highest Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). "Because he is the highest Commander of TNI. Then he (Hegseth) was like, oh, okay," said Sjafrie.

Furthermore, he mentioned that Hegseth's request for permission was conveyed to him last year during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus, which the United States attended.

"So, I was there. I don't know the U.S. Defense Minister. Why? Because he is too global, and we are regional," said the former Commander of the Jakarta Raya Regional Military Command.

Previously, during the meeting between Sjafrie and Hegseth at the Pentagon on April 13, it was announced that the Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) between the two countries was established.

MDCP is intended as a guiding framework to advance bilateral defense cooperation, as well as to reaffirm the shared commitment of both countries in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The controversy over the U.S. permission to fly across Indonesian airspace came to the forefront when several foreign media reported on the mass flight clearance for American military aircraft in the country.

However, the Ministry of Defense stated that the agreement is still in the internal and inter-agency discussion stage. The highlighted "blanket overflight clearance" document has not yet been finalized.

"It does not yet have binding legal force and cannot be used as the basis for official Indonesian government policy," said Brigadier General Rico Sirait, Head of Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defense Secretariat General, on April 13, 2026.

Novali Panji Nugroho contributed to the writing of this article

Read: Ministry Affirms US Airspace Request Still Under Review

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