Discuss the significance of India-Indonesia defence and maritime cooperation in the context of India's Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific strategy.

Q. Discuss the significance of India-Indonesia defence and maritime cooperation in the context of India's Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific strategy. (15 marks, 250 words)

Straddling the Indian Ocean's eastern approaches, Indonesia is the maritime linchpin of India's Act East Policy. PM Modi's State Visit to Jakarta (6–8 July 2026) elevated the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with defence and maritime security as its sharpest edge [1].

Deepening defence cooperation - BrahMos cooperation expanded and an Air-to-Air Missile Cooperation Agreement finalized, positioning Indonesia within India's defence-export diplomacy in Southeast Asia [1]. - Institutionalised architecture — the 3rd Defence Ministers' Dialogue (Nov 2025) — reflects calendarised, structured engagement [1]. - Advances India's ambition as a net security provider in the region.

Maritime cooperation & the Indo-Pacific - An Indonesian liaison officer posted at India's Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), Gurugram, strengthens shared maritime-domain awareness [1]. - Sabang Port development partnership offers strategic access near the Malacca Strait, a critical chokepoint for Indo-Pacific sea lanes [1]. - Both reaffirmed a free, open, rules-based Indo-Pacific, converging with India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and SAGAR vision.

Strategic-diplomatic weight - As ASEAN's largest economy, Indonesia anchors India's outreach to the ASEAN centrality that underpins the Indo-Pacific. - Coordination across IORA, G20 and BRICS, plus joint support for UNSC reform, extends cooperation to global governance [1].

By fusing hard-security instruments with maritime connectivity, the partnership converts Act East from rhetoric into a functioning Indo-Pacific security lattice. Sustained through regular summits and joint exercises, and rooted in ASEAN centrality, it advances a stable, multipolar maritime order.

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. India-Indonesia Joint Statement on the State Visit by Prime Minister of India to Indonesia (PIB, 7 July 2026) — CSP upgrade, BrahMos and air-to-air missile cooperation, Defence Ministers' Dialogue, IFC-IOR liaison officer, Sabang Port, IORA/G20/BRICS and UNSC-reform coordination