Indonesia Made No Commitment to US on Airspace Access, Defence Minister Says

JAKARTA, May ⁠19 – ⁠Indonesia’s defence ⁠minister said on ​Tuesday that he signed ‌a letter of ‌intent ⁠with ⁠his American counterpart on granting access ​over Indonesian airspace to U.S. ​military aircraft during his ⁠visit to ⁠Washington last ⁠month, but ​no commitment was made.

Indonesia’s ​foreign ⁠ministry warned the defence ministry in an ⁠letter in early April that an American ⁠proposal to give its military “blanket” permission to fly over Indonesian territory risked entangling Jakarta in potential ⁠South China Sea conflicts, Reuters reported last month.

(Reporting by Stanley ​Widianto; Editing by ​David Stanway)

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

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