- Amplifying Indonesia's Defence Diplomacy in ASEAN

Being the regional actor in the heart of the Indo-Pacific, ASEAN has had its share of multilateral initiatives that encompass its members’ interests and the region's development. However, ASEAN has little initiative in the form of a joint military training for its member states. That was until Indonesia’s chairmanship in ASEAN, a joint military exercise was held in September 2023 which was named ASEX-01 N. This new development is interesting given its enactment occurred in the midst of a competition between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific. Against that backdrop, the paper seeks to point out how said initiative may serve as a means to accentuate Indonesia’s role in Indonesia whilst providing benefits to reap by the rest of ASEAN member states. To that end, the paper employs a qualitative research method involving the use of secondary data. Moreover, the paper also utilizes the concept of defence diplomacy to better understand the ASEAN initiative at hand. The paper begins with a brief overview of Southeast Asia’s regional landscape that is witnessing a competition for influence between the US and China. The article then lays out the recent ASEAN initiative it’s concerned with that is the ASEAN Solidarity Exercise Natuna 2023. Upon learning of what the initiative entails, the paper would proceed with the defence diplomacy analysis of said initiative. Here, it can be understood how the initiative entails some matters that can benefit Indonesia’s international reputation as well as ASEAN member states’ capacity building.