Russia Eyes Pacific Air Base on Doorstep of US Ally.
Russia is reportedly seeking to deploy military aircraft, including bombers, at an Indonesian air base north of Australia, a key United States ally in the Pacific Ocean that hosts American forces.
Both Australian and Indonesian officials have dismissed the report, while the Kremlin said there was a lot of “fake news” around, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Newsweek reached out to the Australian, Indonesian, and Russian militaries via email for comment.
Russia maintains a military partnership with Indonesia, which has the largest population of Muslims in the world, 242 million. Last November, the Russian military sent a group of warships to the Southeast Asian nation for the first maritime exercise between the two sides.
Australia, located south of Indonesia, is a member of two U.S.-led groups: the Five Eyes intelligence alliance and the Quad, a strategic alliance of four Indo-Pacific nations. Around 2,500 U.S. Marines are now deployed in Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Both Australia and Indonesia are part of a U.S. maritime containment strategy known as the island chain. The chain is formed by three island blockades seeking to restrict Russian and Chinese military access to the Pacific Ocean with America’s allied and friendly territories.
Citing “separate sources” from the Indonesian government, specialist outlet Janes reported on Monday that Russia has made an official request to Indonesia for “seeking permission” to deploy its air force’s aircraft at Manuhua Air Force Base, located on the eastern Biak Island.
Janes claimed that the Russian Aerospace Forces had also made several “ad hoc requests” to station its Tu-95 bombers and Il-76 transport aircraft at that base. The Russian bomber is capable of carrying six to 14 cruise missiles that are armed with nuclear warheads.
This would not be the first time the Russian military has used the same Indonesian air base, which is about 856 miles away from Darwin. In December 2017, two Tu-95 bombers patrolled over the South Pacific Ocean for the first time during a five-day deployment.
The report caused great concern in both Australia and Indonesia. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Indonesian defense chief Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told his Australian counterpart Richard Marles that he had not received Russia’s request to access the air base.
Marles confirmed Sjamsoeddin’s remarks, while Frega Wenas, spokesperson for the Indonesian Defense Ministry, said Janes’ report was incorrect. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “We obviously do not want to see Russian influence in our region.”
The report comes after Moscow and Jakarta held talks on deepening their bilateral defense partnership during a meeting in February between Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Russian Security Council, and Sjamsoeddin in the Indonesian capital city.
In addition to the U.S. Marines’ deployment in Darwin, an Australian air base south of Darwin is being upgraded to host six American B-52 bombers. The U.S. is also assisting Australia in acquiring conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles: “I have spoken to my counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the minister for defense, and he has said to me in the clearest possible terms, reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true.”
Dr. Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, on X (formerly Twitter): “I think its important that the [Australian] government be absolutely crystal clear to the media on the question of whether an official request by Russia to Indonesia to host Russian Air Force long-range bombers, maritime patrol aircraft and tankers at Biak Island was made in the first place or, whether such a request was refused by the Indonesian government.”
Indonesian defense analyst Fauzan Malufti, on X: “The situation may actually reflect the high level of trust and strong security partnership between Jakarta and Canberra as both countries’ officials managed to talk with each other and clarified the rumor/report quickly.”
It remains to be seen whether Russia will conduct a short period of deployment in Indonesia with its nuclear-capable bombers, similar to the one organized in 2017. Meanwhile, China, which is a quasi-ally of Russia, has recently inaugurated a military installation in Cambodia