April 13, 2026 | 02:32 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense has responded to reports that the government has granted broad access for United States military aircraft in its airspace, saying no final approval has been made.
The reports emerged after several foreign media outlets claimed that Indonesia had issued large-scale flight clearances for US military aircraft.
Head of the ministry’s Information Bureau, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, said the proposal is still under internal and inter-agency discussion. He emphasized that the blanket overflight clearance document has not been finalized.
“It does not have legal binding power and cannot be used as the basis for official government policy,” Rico said in a written statement on Monday (April 13, 2026).
Rico explained that any draft cooperation mechanism must go through a careful and multi-layered review process before being considered further in accordance with applicable procedures and authorities.
“In the Indonesian context, this means that all processes must follow the laws and regulations, institutional mechanisms, and political decisions of the state,” said the two-star general.
He added that discussions on defense cooperation with other countries are always guided by national interests, including safeguarding Indonesia’s sovereignty and adhering to both national and international law.
“We emphasize that the authority, control, and supervision of Indonesian airspace remains fully in the hands of Indonesia,” he said.
Rico also stressed that Indonesia will retain full authority in granting access to foreign military aircraft under any future arrangement. Any such access, he added, will remain subject to government approval on a case-by-case basis.
“Indonesia continues to uphold defense cooperation with all countries based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, and mutual benefit without neglecting national interests and sovereignty,” Rico said.
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