The Indonesians are on a buying spree of military equipment. And India is smiling.
With cosy defence and military collaboration between India and Indonesia amid talk of the possible sale of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile, there are expectations that New Delhi may turn out to be a major contributor to Jakarta’s ongoing drive to rapidly militarise itself, which includes the raising of 500 new infantry battalions in the next five years.
There is a context to it. While India is trying to position itself as a market for military exports, Indonesia has embarked on an all-out effort to militarise fast. If a BrahMos deal fructifies, Indonesia will be the second country after the Philippines to buy India’s flagship missile. Brahmos is spoken of as the game-changer in the recent India-Pakistan military conflict.
With the ongoing India visit of the Indonesian defence minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin providing the perfect backdrop, India’s defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said during his special address at the Chanakya Dialogue event on Thursday: “They (Indonesia) are now rearming, we just had a dialogue with the Indonesian defence minister a short while back, and they are going for a huge re-arming of their country, raising almost 500 new battalions across their country to man everyone of their districts which is mindboggling, they are going to rival the size of our army very shortly”.
Very significantly, a top Indian defence ministry source privy to the ongoing deliberations told THE WEEK on condition of anonymity: “India is expected to contribute significantly in Indonesia’s militarisation effort. Of course, they will buy a lot of Indian equipment”.
Early this year, Indonesia authorised its military to take part in civilian governance and to appoint military officers to institutions like the National Narcotics Agency, State Intelligence Agency, the National Cyber and Crypto Agency, the Supreme Court and even the Attorney General’s Office. This is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s drive to engage the military in social programmes.
Sjamsoeddin is in India for the third India-Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue. The two countries define each other as “comprehensive strategic partners.”
Both militaries already participate in a number of joint exercises across land, maritime, and air forces, including Super Garuda Shield, Garuda Shakti, Samudra Shakti, MILAN, and upcoming Air Manoeuvre Exercises.
Interestingly, New Delhi has also set up the DPSU Bhawan, a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a common platform for all 16 DPSUs to showcase India’s defence manufacturing capabilities to domestic and international stakeholders.
In 2024-25, India’s defence exports touched Rs 6,695 crore, underscoring global confidence in India’s indigenous systems.