Indonesia's Leverage: Strait of Malacca

[serious_fun]

Needless to remind most readers here about the strategic 'corridor' through which approx. 80% of China's energy imports travels.

This article discusses recent moves between the US and the RI, specifically a 'Major Defense Cooperation Partnership'.

Recent discoveries of UUVs in Indonesian waters only prove what many have known for many years: Indonesia doesn't have the capability to detect & defend its significant assets.

Local media outlets have been focused on the overflight issue, but in my humble (non-military) opinion, the subsurface/marine issues far outweigh the airspace.

 

[Balifrog]

Needless to remind most readers here about the strategic 'corridor' through which approx. 80% of China's energy imports travels.

This article discusses recent moves between the US and the RI, specifically a 'Major Defense Cooperation Partnership'.

Recent discoveries of UUVs in Indonesian waters only prove what many have known for many years: Indonesia doesn't have the capability to detect & defend its significant assets.

Local media outlets have been focused on the overflight issue, but in my humble (non-military) opinion, the subsurface/marine issues far outweigh the airspace.

Forget about submarines.....

"he Malacca Strait is relatively shallow, with depths in the southern section generally around 90 feet (27 meters) and a minimum depth of 25 meters (about 82 feet) in some channels, making it a critical, narrow bottleneck for shipping. The depth increases toward the northwest, reaching about 650 feet (200 meters) as it merges with the Andaman"

• Shallowest Point:At its narrowest, the channel is just 25 meters deep, causing navigation challenges for very large crude carriers (VLCCs)
  .
• • Average Depths: In the southern portion, depths often range between 90 to 120 feet (27–37 meters).
  • Northern Section: Deepens gradually to 200 meters (about 650 feet) as it opens into the Andaman Sea.
  • Draft Restrictions: Due to its shallow nature, large ships with a draft over 20 meters must navigate carefully.

 

[serious_fun]

An array of cutting edge detection is what's missing. As stated in the Asia Times article which I linked to above, fishermen are finding the UUVs instead of defense forces!

Indonesia is blind beneath the surface.

 

[pantaiema]

US May Be Eyeing Strait Of Malacca After Hormuz, Despite the US direct dependency is low , the straits could be used as a bargaining power against China when needed.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-may-be-eyeing-strait-of-malacca-after-hormuz-why-it-matters-to-india-11357758

 

[Balifrog]

US May Be Eyeing Strait Of Malacca After Hormuz, Despite the US direct dependency is low , the straits could be used as a bargaining power against China when needed.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-may-be-eyeing-strait-of-malacca-after-hormuz-why-it-matters-to-india-11357758

Trump is an idiot...
He could not win against Iran, but he thinks he has a chance against China ?
And is the US population ready to see hundreds of dead bodies returning home every week ?

Forget it, the day China takes over Taiwan (peacefully), the US will not move.

 

[pantaiema]

An array of cutting edge detection is what's missing. As stated in the Asia Times article which I linked to above, fishermen are finding the UUVs instead of defense forces!

Indonesia is blind beneath the surface.

Are you surprised? It’s part of the culture among some Indonesian officials, civil servants, military personnel, and police to focus on pleasing their superiors, often telling them what they want to hear rather then telling the truth. If those in charge don’t verify things themselves, misinformation can easily grow.

Just think about the recent report from the National Statistics Bureau (BPS), which claimed that unemployment is falling, poverty levels are decreasing, and the economy is growing.
Did anyone believe that ???

 

[Balifrog]

An array of cutting edge detection is what's missing. As stated in the Asia Times article which I linked to above, fishermen are finding the UUVs instead of defense forces!

Indonesia is blind beneath the surface.

Don't worry, the Chinese are taking care of it....(again)

China is deploying an extensive network of underwater sensors, gliders, and seabed-mapping tools in the Strait of Malacca and the surrounding Indian Ocean to build a "transparent ocean" for tracking submarines and enhancing maritime defense. These assets, often deployed by research vessels like the Dong Fang Hong 3, monitor critical chokepoints to secure energy imports and boost subsea warfare capabilities.
IDNFinancials.com +3
Key Aspects of Underwater Sensors in the Region

• Chinese "Transparent Ocean" Project: China is installing sensors, buoys, and subsea arrays along the Ninety East Ridge and around the Malacca Strait. These tools collect data on underwater conditions (temperature, salinity, sound propagation) to improve submarine detection and operations.
• Active Surveillance Operations: The Dong Fang Hong 3 research vessel has been identified mapping the seabed and deploying sensors in the Malacca Strait, particularly in March 2025.
• Underwater Drones and Gliders: Suspected Chinese [["Sea Wing"]] (Haiyi) gliders have been recovered near the Riau Islands and other Indonesian areas near the Malacca Strait, indicating long-term, persistent underwater surveillance.
• Strategic Importance: The Malacca Strait is a critical maritime bottleneck for China, with roughly 80% of its energy imports passing through it.

 

[serious_fun]

... could be used as a bargaining power against China when needed.

No doubt about it.

 

[serious_fun]

Trump is an idiot...
He could not win against Iran, but he thinks he has a chance against China ?
And is the US population ready to see hundreds of dead bodies returning home every week ?

Forget it, the day China takes over Taiwan (peacefully), the US will not move.

I respectfully remind you that 'Trump' is no more in charge of military and economic planning than (((Zhelensky))) is planning military action in the Ukraine.

This blog post with links is a decent overview of what some assume is taking place.

As I indicated in this thread's title, it is Indonesia's opportunity to leverage the geostrategic location...it's not the time for Pres. Prabowo or V.P. Baby Joko to make stupid miscalculations. The so-called 'Board For Peace' comes to mind

IMHO this is a once in a century opportunity for the RI.

This academic paper (free 13mb download) discusses how the RI might try to maintain neutrality.

 

[serious_fun]

Don't worry, the Chinese are taking care of it....(again)

China is deploying an extensive network of underwater sensors, gliders, and seabed-mapping tools in the Strait of Malacca and the surrounding Indian Ocean to build a "transparent ocean" for tracking submarines and enhancing maritime defense. These assets, often deployed by research vessels like the Dong Fang Hong 3, monitor critical chokepoints to secure energy imports and boost subsea warfare capabilities.
IDNFinancials.com +3
Key Aspects of Underwater Sensors in the Region

• Chinese "Transparent Ocean" Project: China is installing sensors, buoys, and subsea arrays along the Ninety East Ridge and around the Malacca Strait. These tools collect data on underwater conditions (temperature, salinity, sound propagation) to improve submarine detection and operations.
• Active Surveillance Operations: The Dong Fang Hong 3 research vessel has been identified mapping the seabed and deploying sensors in the Malacca Strait, particularly in March 2025.
• Underwater Drones and Gliders: Suspected Chinese [["Sea Wing"]] (Haiyi) gliders have been recovered near the Riau Islands and other Indonesian areas near the Malacca Strait, indicating long-term, persistent underwater surveillance.
• Strategic Importance: The Malacca Strait is a critical maritime bottleneck for China, with roughly 80% of its energy imports passing through it.

But not in RI waters.

 

[Balifrog]

I respectfully remind you that 'Trump' is no more in charge of military and economic planning than (((Zhelensky))) is planning military action in the Ukraine.

Wrong. They set the main axes...
Ukraine's disastrous counter offensive 2 years ago was Zelensky's idea.
Kidnapping the president of Venezuela was Trump's idea
Attacking Iran was Trump's idea (with a little push from Netanyahu....)

The head of state, chief of the armed forces, gives the target. The military have to find a way to make it work, wether they like the idea or not.

 

[Balifrog]

But not in RI waters.

Not in the 12 nm territorial waters.
The 200 nm mile is open for anybody to "transit"...

 

[serious_fun]

Wrong. They set the main axes...
Ukraine's disastrous counter offensive 2 years ago was Zelensky's idea.
Kidnapping the president of Venezuela was Trump's idea
Attacking Iran was Trump's idea (with a little push from Netanyahu....)

The head of state, chief of the armed forces, gives the target. The military have to find a way to make it work, wether they like the idea or not.

I respectfully disagree on those points. Former actors and/or Real Estate developers aren't determining national strategies or military objectives. This is reality, not some children's film. Options may be presented to the former actor and/or Real Estate developer in order to give the impression of "decision making", but the action plans have (generally) been laid out by far more knowledgeable persons. Despite the fact that 'leadership' may change after election cycles, the long term national goals will generally remain constant.

This isn't to say that the option which was presented to and then chosen by 'the leader' was wise. It's just far beyond the realm of possibility and capability for the former actors and/or Real Estate developers to develop such plans. They're much too busy traveling around the world begging for money (((zhelensky))) or posting 300 times per day on social media (trump).

 

[serious_fun]

Not in the 12 nm territorial waters.
The 200 nm mile is open for anybody to "transit"...

Yes, and this is where the Sino activities are mainly focused, as you identified in your post above.

I'll restate the thrust of the thread topic: The RI has huge leverage given the flow of shipping through RI waters. Ignoring that leverage and failing to develop & implement modern underwater systems would be a HUGE error that would haunt the RI for decades.

BTW: That's not advocating for alignment with the US, not just because the Islamic and more Islamist groups would cause domestic political problems given the 'special relationship' between the US and izz-real...it wouldn't make sense (or rupiah) given regional economic realities.

Just my opinion on a Friday afternoon.

 

[Hawk256]

Attacking Iran was Trump's idea (with a little push from Netanyahu....)

I think you have that backwards. Netanyahu clearly orchestrated the whole thing.