Moscow seeks to station several long-range aircraft at the Manuhua Air Force Base in Biak Numfor in the Indonesian province of Papua. This would be the first Russian military base in the Indo-Pacific.
The United States maintains around 750 military bases in eighty foreign countries, accounting for between 75 and 85 percent of the world’s foreign military facilities.
The size of those facilities varies considerably from large bases with thousands of troops to military sites with little more than some equipment in a building, such as a naval transmitter.
By contrast, Russia has fewer than two dozen significant bases, most of which are in the former Soviet republics in Central Asia.
Russia has attempted to expand its overseas footprint, with Moscow seeking to establish a presence in Africa, possibly Sudan or Libya. However, international military analyst firm Janes first reported on Tuesday that the Kremlin has also set its sights on the Indo-Pacific. A formal request was sent to Indonesia to allow Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft to be stationed “at a facility in [the country’s] easternmost province.”
Sources within the Indonesian government told Janes that a formal request was made to Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin’s office just after meeting with Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu earlier this year. Shoigu had previously served as Russia’s Minister of Defense.
Will There Really Be Russian Bombers in Indonesia?
According to the report, Moscow had sought to “base several long-range aircraft at the Manuhua Air Force Base, which shares a runway with the Frans Kaisiepo Airport… situated in Biak Numfor in the Indonesian province of Papua.”
The facility “is home to the Indonesian Air Force’s Aviation Squadron 27, which operates a fleet of CN235 surveillance aircraft.”
Government sources weren’t able to provide any specific details on the number or types of aircraft that could be based at the facility or when they could arrive, but the Kremlin has made multiple “ad hoc requests to land its Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and Il-76 airlifters at the very same airbase.”
The Indonesian Air Force has previously agreed to those requests. The Kremlin wanted to make it a more permanent situation, providing a footprint in the Indo-Pacific.
Ties between Moscow and Jakarta have increased since the election of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto last October.
Australian Response to Russians in Indonesia
Australian officials were quick to respond to the report, as Russia’s request to base aircraft in Indonesia could put Russia’s long-range bombers within striking distance of Australia’s mainland. That caused Jakarta to backpedal, denying any deal was pending or had even occurred!
“I have spoken to my counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the minister for defense, and he has said to me in the clearest possible terms [that] reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true,” explained Australian Minister of Defense Richard Marles in a media statement, per The Age.
“We have an excellent relationship with the Indonesians. I’ve met with the president, both when he was defense minister and when he was president-elect … Prabowo is a good friend of Australia,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who added that the government was “seeking further clarification [from Jakarta].”
“My message to President Putin is that we don’t share any values with President Putin, and we do not want a military presence from Russia in our region,” Albanese continued.
It wasn’t just the ruling Labor Party that expressed concern in the land down under. The Australian newspaper of record added that the country’s Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, called the news “very troubling,” while he also labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a “murderous dictator.”
Will Indonesia Commit to the Russians?
During the Cold War, Indonesia officially adopted a neutral and independent policy, even if, at times, it leaned towards the United States. As one of the founding members of the non-aligned movement, it has attempted to be neutral, and that included remaining one of the few nations not to impose sanctions on Russia. It has also not provided aid to Ukraine.
However, it still supported some early UN resolutions that condemned the invasion and demanded that Russia withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
Jakarta has also sought to aid in peace negotiations.
Thus, while Russia would certainly like to establish a footprint in the Indo-Pacific, it is unlikely to be in Indonesia.
“Russia has been actively pursuing closer defense ties with Indonesia for some time,” Susannah Patton, director of the South-East Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, told The Age.
“Yet it would be surprising if Indonesia agreed to any basing arrangement, given its non-aligned foreign policy stance and sovereignty concerns.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock/ Juergen Nowak.
