Indonesia remains the most important nation in Southeast Asia. It has a massive economy, population, and a world-class military. Toward that end, Indonesia’s defense ministry under Prabowo Subianto, the Indonesian defense minister, introduced a 25-year force modernization framework to follow an earlier “Minimum Essential Force” (MEF) concept.

That force modernization plan is known as Perisai Trisula Nusantara, or “Trident Shield of Nusantara”—“Nusantara” being the name of the Indonesian archipelago and the name of the future capital region for the country.

This long-term plan both for modernization and holistic national defense doesn’t imply that the country is ready for immediate, large-scale war. Rather, the framework indicates that the country is interested in raising its capabilities, enhancing deterrence, and ensuring its sovereignty in a region that is increasingly divided between competing, rival powers, such as China, Japan, and Australia to name just a few. 

As a medium-sized power, Indonesia does not want to risk being left at the tender mercies of these competing foreign........

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