JAKARTA: Proposed arrangements granting US military “blanket overflight access” in Indonesian airspace signal a material shift away from Asean’s long-standing commitment to neutrality.
Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) warned that without clear limits and transparency, the deal risks drawing Southeast Asia deeper into major power competition and weakening an already fragile regional order.
APHR co-chairperson and member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives Mercy Chriesty Barends said expanding military access without transparency risks turning the region into a silent partner in conflicts it neither controls nor consents to.
“Sovereignty must not be reduced to a procedural formality, but anchored in human rights and accountability to the people,” said Barends.
In a statement today, APHR said at the centre of the proposal is an unresolved question: whether Indonesia will retain meaningful authority to approve, restrict, or veto specific US military missions using its airspace.
While the arrangement is reportedly framed around contingency operations, crisis response, and mutually agreed exercises, these categories remain broad and open to interpretation.
The potential shift, according to APHR, comes as Asean faces growing internal divergence over security alignments – some member states are deepening cooperation with the US, while others are strengthening ties with China.
This trend risks fragmenting Asean’s longstanding principle of non-alignment and weakening its collective ability to manage external pressures. Indonesia has historically played a key role in anchoring this principle, making any recalibration of its posture regionally significant.
The US and Indonesia announced a defence partnership yesterday, signalling closer strategic ties between the two countries.
In a joint statement, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the partnership, dubbed the “Major Defence Cooperation Partnership” (MDCP), affirms their shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
It follows Sjafrie’s visit to the Pentagon on Sunday. The statement, however, was silent on “blanket overflight rights”.
In a report published yesterday, the Jakarta Globe said the Indonesian government had not officially reached a deal with the US to allow American military aircraft to fly over its airspace freely.
APHR co-chairperson Charles Santiago said these concerns are compounded by Asean’s limited response to ongoing regional crises.
“In Myanmar, the military junta continues to commit widespread and systematic human rights violations with impunity, while Asean mechanisms have failed to deliver meaningful accountability or protection,” said Santiago, a former Malaysian MP.
He added: “Against this backdrop, expanding military arrangements without robust safeguards risks further exposing the gap between Asean’s stated commitments and its practice.”
APHR reiterated that preserving Asean’s relevance requires more than rhetorical commitment to neutrality. It demands transparency in security agreements, effective democratic oversight, and firm adherence to human rights and international law.
“Without these safeguards, Southeast Asia risks becoming not a zone of cooperation, but a contested space shaped by external military competition,” the statement said.
Main image: Hegseth and Sjafrie during the latter’s visit to Pentagon on Sunday – Kementerian Pertahanan Republik Indonesia.
