PM Modi Heads to Indonesia to Deepen Maritime & Defence Ties
The three-day official visit marks a major milestone in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, following a surge in high-level military engagements and joint naval deployments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Indonesia on Monday for a three-day official visit, marking his first bilateral trip to the Southeast Asian nation since the two countries elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018.
The high-profile visit comes amid steadily expanding cooperation between the two maritime neighbours across defence, maritime security, trade, and regional connectivity. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), defence cooperation has officially emerged as one of the key pillars of the bilateral relationship.
A Growing Defence Framework
While India and Indonesia established formal defence ties in 1951—signing a Defence Cooperation Agreement in 2001 that was renewed in 2006—the partnership received its most significant boost during PM Modi’s 2018 visit, which yielded a crucial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation.
Over the years, the two nations have broadened military engagement across all three services through:
- Bilateral & Multilateral Exercises: Key drills include the bilateral Army exercise Garuda Shakti and naval exercise Samudra Shakti, alongside participation in multinational drills like Super Garuda Shield, Elang Shakti, Komodo, and MILAN.
- Maritime Security: Regular India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrols (IND-INDO CORPAT) and direct cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard and Indonesia’s maritime security agency, Bakamla.
- Institutional Dialogues: Robust collaboration through Services Staff Talks, Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meetings, and ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ADMM-Plus.
Momentum in Strategic Exchanges
High-level exchanges have rapidly gathered momentum. In November 2025, Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin visited New Delhi for the third India-Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, co-chaired by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. This followed key 2024 visits by India’s Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan. Furthermore, Jakarta hosted the inaugural India-Indonesia Defence Industry Exhibition-cum-Seminar in April 2024.
Anchoring the Indo-Pacific
Maritime cooperation remains at the forefront of the relationship. Earlier this year, from April 22 to 24, the indigenously built Indian offshore patrol vessel INS Sunayna made a goodwill port call at Jakarta as part of the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) Mission, carrying personnel from 16 partner nations. This followed a series of 2025 Indian naval deployments to Indonesian ports, including visits by INS Kadmatt, INS Sandhayak, and the guided-missile destroyer INS Mumbai.
According to the MEA, the accelerating frequency of these dialogues, deployments, and industry collaborations strongly reflects an expanding strategic convergence between India and Indonesia in the Indo-Pacific region.
