The defense ministers of France and Indonesia have agreed to work more closely to maintain regional stability, officials said.
Visiting French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin agreed in late January 2025 that their countries can collaborate through technology exchanges and other cooperation, Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Frega Wenas said.
The defense ministers met days after a French Navy carrier strike group deployed to Indonesia for the first time. The Charles de Gaulle, France’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, stopped in Bali and Lombok, where it conducted logistical activities as part of a six-month mission in the Indo-Pacific that started in November 2024.
The Charles de Gaulle also participated in the French Navy-led exercise La Perouse 25 in the Lombok, Malacca and Sunda straits, the French Embassy in Jakarta said. The biennial exercise included Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In July 2024, French Air Force planes made a stopover in Jakarta as part of a Southeast Asia deployment to demonstrate France’s commitment to Indo-Pacific security amid the People’s Republic of China’s growing maritime activity.
Military cooperation between France and Indonesia has grown in recent years. Indonesia has agreed to purchase 42 French-made Rafale fighter jets, with delivery of the first aircraft expected in 2026. It also announced the purchase of two French-made Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 ground-control interception radars. Five of the radar systems are expected to be installed in the country’s new capital, Nusantara.
The purchases come amid tensions in the region, particularly in the disputed South China Sea, where the PRC asserts expansive territorial claims in defiance of a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated Beijing’s sovereignty claims. The waterway contains crucial shipping lanes, abundant fish stocks and undersea mineral resources.
While Indonesia is not a claimant state, it has clashed with the PRC over fishing rights near the Natuna Islands, which are within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone but claimed by Beijing.
