What You Really Need to Know about the U.S.-Indonesian Security Relationship

No other bilateral issue has been more heatedly debated than the U.S.-Indonesian security relationship. Is the U.S. resuming training of the Indonesian Army Special Forces Command (KOPASSUS)? Has the Indonesian military undergone sufficient reform? What is the real scope of the Leahy Law? What does “limited program of engagement” mean in the context U.S. military assistance to Indonesia, announced in July by U.S. Secretary of Defense Gates during his visit to Jakarta? How has the security relationship evolved under the Obama Administration?

USINDO is delighted to host Colonel Kevin Richards, who has recently completed a tour as Defense and Army Attaché in Jakarta. Colonel Richards will discuss these important topics, provide an update for our USINDO audience on recent happenings in the bilateral security dialogue, and give his impression of the security relationship after serving four years in Jakarta.