May 15, 2025
JAKARTA – The recent clash between India and Pakistan marks a significant development in the regional air power constellation. This event has sparked strategic concerns about Indonesia’s procurement of advanced weaponry and its unresolved airspace sovereignty issues, particularly in critical border regions such as the Strait of Malacca.
This essay argues that the development of a national air defense system cannot be separated from full operational control of national airspace. Without sovereign authority over its own skies, investment in advanced air defense weaponry becomes strategically irrelevant. This is a strategic framework for building Indonesia’s air…