Don Greenlees, Jakarta – A plan to train Indonesian military cadet officers at the Australian Defence Force Academy has been scuttled because of objections by senior commanders at Jakarta's armed forces headquarters.
Australia planned to induct seven officers into the tri-service officers academy in Canberra next year as part of a low-key rebuilding of the military relationship with Indonesia, which was shattered by the 1999 East Timor crisis. On a visit to Jakarta in March, Defence Minister Robert Hill won agreement from the Indonesian Defence Ministry for Indonesian cadet officers to enrol as undergraduates at ADFA.
Announcing the headline initiative of his visit, Senator Hill described the plans to offer Indonesian cadets ADFA degree courses and military training as a "good investment" in the future of the military relationship. "It means Indonesia better understands our military doctrine and our values and it means they get the professional training that we can offer," he said.
A Defence Department spokesman in Canberra confirmed the Indonesians rejected the offer because it was "not consistent with their current training priorities". However, military sources said Indonesian armed forces headquarters vetoed the ADFA training because it wanted junior officers to be instilled with its own values before any training overseas. Indonesia continues to send officers each year to attend graduate courses at Australian staff colleges.
Despite the setback to plans to build training links, Australia and Indonesia are pushing ahead with a cautious restoration of military ties, placing particular emphasis on anti-terrorism co-operation.
Since Senator Hill's visit, several senior Indonesian officers have made low-key visits to Australia, including chief of the armed forces intelligence agency, Air Vice-Marshall Ian Santoso. Under a memorandum of understanding on terrorism, Australia and Indonesia have agreed to increase intelligence exchanges.
That coincides with US moves to restore training links with the Indonesian military after they were severed because of Indonesia's human rights record in East Timor. The US offered a $US50 million program of training and assistance, with much of the money dedicated to counter-terrorism activities.