The United States on Thursday announced a new “programme of security cooperation” with the Indonesian Army's Special Forces division. U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta, later said Washington's re-engagement with this unit would be a “gradual, limited” move at this stage.
U.S. cooperation with the Indonesian military was snapped in the 1990s over many issues, including the suspicions about violations of human rights by the Special Forces in East Timor before its independence from Jakarta. And, while the two countries normalised their military ties in recent months, with the signing of a defence framework agreement in June, the Special Forces were left out of its ambit at that time.
Looking ahead for a possible “comprehensive partnership”, Mr. Gates cited some positive developments that now helped clinch the “re-engagement” with the Indonesian Special Forces. “The Indonesian military reforms over the past decade, the ongoing professionalisation of the Indonesian armed forces, and the recent actions taken by the Ministry of Defence [in Jakarta] to address human rights issues” were among the positive signs.
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As a result of the latest decision, the U.S. will be able to train the Indonesian Special Forces, whose personnel are often deployed overseas for peacekeeping operations and generally rise to the top in the Indonesian military hierarchy.