Jakarta. Indonesia is sticking to its principle of not hosting any foreign military base and joining any wars, according to President Prabowo Subianto, as the world witnesses rising tensions.

Prabowo recently had a hand-picked interview with senior journalists and experts. In the second half of the session uploaded Sunday, Prabowo — known for wanting to make Indonesia a “good neighbor” to everyone — amassed queries on his foreign policy. This includes a question on where Jakarta draws the line on accepting foreign demands, even if saying no can strain ties with countries such as the US. 

The ex-defense minister replied that Jakarta would remain committed to its traditional “non-aligned” position of not forging any close alignment with great powers. Indonesia will also give a hard no if any country asks to set up a military base on its soil.

“They [our foreign partners] have long been aware of our stance. We don’t want to join any [military] pacts. We can’t accept foreign military bases. It has always been like that since [our founding father] Sukarno’s era,” Prabowo told the forum.

He went on to say Southeast Asia’s biggest economy remains open to “peaceful visits and navigation to all”, including “refuels” by the US, China, and even Russia.

Prabowo said that Indonesia shall maintain its “principles of non-alignment and non-bloc”.

 “We shall not get involved in any wars.” 

The retired army general was upbeat that this move could enable Indonesia to step in as a bridge-builder in global conflicts. 

“If we are nice to everyone, we can be useful. … If Iran accepts us — although I’m not sure to what extent — and if the Gulf nations still trust us, that’s good. Maybe we can be a mediator, even though I don’t know how effective that would be,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo’s comment came at a time when the world is laser-focused on the Iran war. In late February, the US and Israel launched a joint military attack against Tehran. Iran quickly shifted into offensive mode by targeting Israel and Gulf nations that host US military bases. Al Jazeera, quoting political anthropologist David Vine, wrote that the US had around 750 bases in at least 80 countries as of July 2021.

Prabowo has offered to be a mediator, even willing to travel to Tehran to facilitate the talks with the US government. 

In 2025, Indonesia dismissed reports claiming that it had allowed a Russian air base in its easternmost province Papua. On refuels, the Indonesian Air Force and its Hawaiian counterpart held a joint F-16 air-to-air refueling exercise that same year.

Under Prabowo, Indonesia has made several progress in the security cooperation. Most recently, it signed a bilateral security treaty with Australia that could enable a joint response if either is under attack. The close neighbors are even mulling expanding the cooperation to incorporate Japan. Indonesia is also seeking a more modern arsenal, as seen in the purchases of 48 Turkish-made KAAN fighter jets and the BrahMos military system from India.

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