A Comparative Analysis of Indonesian and Australian Military Deployment and Strategy
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Research Aims: This study conducts a comparative analysis of Indonesian and Australian military deployment and utilization to illuminate divergent strategic paths within the Indo-Pacific. It evaluates how geography, threat perception, and defense budgets influence military posture and strategic flexibility.
Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a qualitative comparative case study methodology to examine the military deployment and utilization strategies of Indonesia and Australia. The analysis is guided by geopolitical theory and defense posture theory and is based on systematic analysis of secondary data, including official government defense white papers, strategic and doctrinal documents, and peer-reviewed scholarly literature.
Research Findings: ndonesia’s posture is fundamentally inward-looking and defensive, dictated by its archipelagic geography and historical focus on internal unity. Its Total People’s Defense relies on functional mass and territorial resilience. Conversely, Australia’s posture is outward-looking and expeditionary, driven by continental geography and alliance commitments. While Indonesia is constrained by budgets below 1% of GDP, Australia’s investment of approximately 2% of GDP facilitates high-end power projection and technological superiority.
Theoretical Contribution/Originality: This paper contributes to strategic theory by illustrating the dichotomy of strategic drivers between neighboring states. It highlights how historical identity and geography create a choice between Indonesia’s strategic autonomy and Australia’s alliance-integrated interoperability.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Ashar, A. R., & Malufti, M. F. (2022). Indonesian Military Modernization: A Race Against Time. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/indonesian-military-modernization-a-race-against-time/
Australia, C. of. (2016). 2016 Defence White Paper. Department of Defence.
Australian Government, D. of D. (2013). Defence White Paper 2013. Department of Defence. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/reviews-inquiries/defence-white-paper-2013
Australian Government, D. of D. (2023). National Defence: Defence Strategic Review 2023. Department of Defence. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/reviews-inquiries/defence-strategic-review-2023
Australian Strategic Policy Institute. (2020). Australia’s Defence Budget: Strategic Ambitions and Fiscal Realities. ASPI.
Bajpaee, C., Cooley, A., Scheffer, A. D. H., Emmers, R., Taylor, M., Lind, J., Nasr, V., Quencez, M., Della, O., Stuenkel, C., & Vakil, S. (2025). Competing visions of international order Responses to US power in a fracturing world. March.
Betts, R. K. (2012). American Force: Dangers, Delusions, and Dilemmas in National Security. Columbia University Press.
Blainey, G. (2001). The Tyranny of Distance: How Distance Shaped Australia’s History. Pan Macmillan.
Defense, U. S. D. of. (2022). Joint Publication 3-0: Joint Campaigns and Operations. Department of Defense. https://www.jcs.mil/Doctrine/Joint-Doctrine-Pubs/3-0-Joint-Campaigns-and-Operations/
Gray, C. S. (2010). The Strategy Bridge: Theory for Practice. Oxford University Press.
Gray, C. S. (2019). The Future of Strategy. Polity Press.
Indonesia, M. of D. of the R. of. (2015). Indonesian Defence White Paper 2015.
Indonesia, M. of D. of the R. of. (2019). Doktrin Pertahanan Negara. Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia.
International Institute for Strategic Studies. (2024). The Military Balance 2024. Routledge.
Jose, H. S. (2022). From Indo-Pacific Centrality to Strategic Autonomy: Asean – Us Perspective. Indonesian Journal of International Relations, 6(1), 205–228. https://doi.org/10.32787/ijir.v6i1.311
Laksmana, E. A. (2018). Reinforcing Indonesia-Australia Defence Relations: The Case for Maritime Recalibration. Lowy Institute for International Policy, October, 1–30. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/reinforcing-indonesia-australia-defence-relations-case-maritime-recalibration-1
Mackinder, H. J. (1904). The Geographical Pivot of History. The Geographical Journal, 23(4), 421–437.
Mahan, A. T. (1890). The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783. Little, Brown and Company.
Medcalf, R. (2020). Indo-Pacific Empire: China, America and the Contest for the World’s Pivotal Region. Manchester University Press.
Rasyid, M. G. (2024). The Nexus Between GDP and Military Expenditure in Indonesia : Evidence From Time Series Analysis. 10(1), 1–15.
Rizal, T. (2024). Defense Budget Overview: Prabowo Has Upper Hand in Upcoming Debate. Jakarta Globe ID. https://jakartaglobe.id/news/defense-budget-overview-prabowo-has-upper-hand-in-upcoming-debate
Ruffa, C. (2023). Meaning-Making in Peacekeeping Missions: Mandate Interpretation and Multinational Collaboration in the UN Mission in Mali. https://doi.org/10.61880/mcfn7493
Sebastian, L. C., & Lanti, I. G. (2018). Indonesia’s defence and security posture: Continuity and change under Jokowi. Asia Policy, 13(1), 25–45.
Snyder, G. H. (1961). Deterrence and Defense: Toward a Theory of National Security. Princeton University Press.
Staff, U. S. J. C. of. (2020). Joint Publication 3-35: Deployment and Redeployment Operations. Department of Defense. https://www.jcs.mil/Doctrine/Joint-Doctrine-Pubs/3-35-Deployment-and-Redeployment-Operations/
Stockholm International Peace Research Institue. (2024). SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. SIPRI. https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
Studies, C. for S. and I. (2021). Between Two Reefs: Indonesia’s Strategic Culture in the Twenty-First Century. CSIS. https://www.csis.org/analysis/between-two-reefs-indonesias-strategic-culture-twenty-first-century
United Nations Peacekeeping. (2024). Uniformed Personnel Contributing Countries by Ranking Uniformed Personnel Contributing Countries by Ranking. UN Peacekeeping Organization, 1, 1–4.
United States Joint Chief of Staff. (2007). Joint Publication 3-35 Deployment and Redeployment Operations. January 2018.
White, H. (2019). How to Defend Australia. La Trobe University Press.
Widyawati, S. (2024). United Nations thanks Indonesia for its contribution to Peacekeeping. United Nations Indonesia. https://indonesia.un.org/en/273728-united-nations-thanks-indonesia-its-contribution-peacekeeping
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.