Overview
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Prabowo Subianto signed the Treaty on Common Security in Jakarta on Feb. 6, committing both countries to consult on adverse security challenges and to consider individual or joint measures.
- Practical steps announced include embedding a senior Indonesian officer within the Australian Defence Force, Australian support for new joint training infrastructure in Indonesia, and expanded military education exchanges.
- The full treaty text has not been released, leaving key obligations undefined, and officials emphasized regular leader and ministerial consultations rather than any mutual defence guarantee.
- The agreement draws on earlier accords from 1995 and the 2006 Lombok Treaty and features in Australia’s wider push to deepen regional security ties as China’s influence grows.
- Analysts describe the deal as largely symbolic given Indonesia’s non-aligned posture and flag concerns about democratic backsliding that could complicate deeper security cooperation.