America gains a foothold in the world's most critical chokepoint
Key takeaways
- On April 13, Indonesia and the U.S. inked the Major Defense Cooperation Partnership agreement, which the Pentagon said will serve as a guiding framework to advance bilateral defense cooperation.
- Details of April s agreement are scarce, and the real test, of course, will be how the parties move from paper to practice.
- Indonesia needs friends, as indeed we all do, James Holmes, the J.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Chang, opinion contributor - 05/15/26 12:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Gordon G. Chang, opinion contributor - 05/15/26 12:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, welcomes Minister of Defense for Indonesia Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to the Pentagon, Monday, April 13, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) America just signed an agreement that will give it a perch on the world s most important natural waterway, the Strait of Malacca. At the same time, Indonesia just found a partner to protect it from China.
On April 13, Indonesia and the U.S. inked the Major Defense Cooperation Partnership agreement, which the Pentagon said will serve as a guiding framework to advance bilateral defense cooperation. The pact has three foundational pillars — capacity building, training and operational cooperation.
Indonesia, the world s fourth most populous country and world s largest archipelagic state, is also considering a letter of intent that would facilitate American access, on a case-by-case basis, to its airspace for both emergency operations and standard transits.