Indonesia Floats International Military Training Facility in Morotai
Reporter
March 12, 2026 | 09:11 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is developing an international military training facility on Morotai Island, North Maluku, according to Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
Sjafrie mentioned in a meeting with Australian Deputy PM and Defense Minister Richard Marles that Morotai has a long history as a base dating back to World War II, leaving behind defense infrastructure in the area.
"It still exists, and we will jointly improve and use it," said Sjafrie to the media after the meeting at his office in Jakarta on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
He stated that the initiative to develop the joint training facility comes from the Indonesian government. Sjafrie believes that Indonesia is capable of creating war training facilities that accommodate soldiers from various countries.
"The facilities could support air, naval, and ground exercises," said Sjafrie, while highlighting Indonesia's position that is surrounded by neighboring countries such as Australia and Singapore.
Against this background, Sjafrie believed the country should not block the chance to cooperate with neighboring defense agencies.
"We want this country to be open-minded," he said.
Sjafrie mentioned that several countries have surveyed the military training area in Morotai. He has also directly offered Richard Marles, representing the Australian government, to visit Morotai.
"When Pak Prabowo served as Defense Minister, he also offered it to Singapore," he said, but clarified that the offer was not accepted due to the distance between Morotai and Singapore.
"So we have obtained (war training facilities) for Singapore in North Kalimantan," he said.
Read: Prabowo Meets Australia's Deputy PM for Strategic Talks
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