By Prashanth Parameswaran
Discussions to focus on tackling joint challenges including Islamic State and maritime security
The United States and Indonesia are looking to boost defense ties to tackle challenges ranging from maritime security to the Islamic State militant group operating in Iraq and Syria, officials said last week.
Brigadier General Jan Pieter Ate, the director for international cooperation at the Indonesian defense ministry, told a public forum in Washington, D.C. last Thursday that a priority area for Indonesia would be strengthening bilateral cooperation with the United States on combating the Islamic State.
“We don’t have this yet,” Ate said at a day-long conference on Indonesia organized by the United States-Indonesia Society.
The Islamic State has featured prominently in recent discussions between the United States and Indonesia. The head of Indonesia’s armed forces General Moeldoko and commander of the U.S. Pacific Command Samuel Locklear talked about the issue in a November 5 meeting in Brunei. U.S. President Barack Obama and his Indonesian counterpart Joko “Jokowi” Widodo also discussed it during their consultation on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting on November 10.
Read the full story at The Diplomat