Australia and Indonesia plan to expand their security cooperation to include Japan and Papua New Guinea (PNG), officials said. Trilateral security arrangements would be developed with Australia, Indonesia and Japan, and among Australia, Indonesia and PNG, Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said after meeting with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles in Jakarta in mid-March 2026.
Australia and Indonesia signed a security treaty in February 2026 that commits them to consult each other if either is threatened. They also will cooperate on intelligence sharing, Sjafrie said. He and Marles discussed potentially developing a defense training facility on the Indonesian island of Morotai, including upgrading existing defense infrastructure, Sjafrie said. “We will work together to improve and utilize it.”
Marles said the Morotai facility would belong to Indonesia, but Australian personnel would have opportunities to train there.
Sjafrie said personnel from countries including the Philippines and Singapore also could access the facility, as well as another being developed with Singapore in Indonesia’s North Kalimantan province.