JAKARTA - Around 180 Unhan students and Ikahan members attended the 2018 Ikahan-Unhan Annual Seminar. This year’s seminar was the 5th in Ikahan’s short history and centred on the theme of “Defence Diplomacy: Confidence Building and Practical Responses”.
The event was opened by LTGEN TNI (Ret) I Wayan Midhio M.Phil, in one of his last responsibilities before retiring as Rector of the Indonesia Defence University. LTGEN Midhio’s opening address noted the shift from traditional to non-traditional security threats and the impact of globalisation on Indonesia’s national security situation, as well as that of the region and globally. He emphasised the importance of defence diplomacy to minimise misunderstandings in our dynamic region.
The first session was presented by Dr Greg Raymond from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the ANU. His presentation on defence diplomacy noted the evolution in international organisations related to defence diplomacy including the League of Nations, the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the short-lived South East Asia Treaty Organisation, and the long-standing Association of South East Asian Nations.
Dr Raymond noted the transition in power in the Indo-Pacific region, especially the rise of China. He also emphasised the transition in ideas across the 20th century as an important factor in defence diplomacy, including the 1955 Bandung Conference’s five principles of peaceful coexistence.
The second session was presented by MAGJEN (Mar) (Ret) Dr Syaiful Anwar who outlined his understanding of Indonesia’s perspective on defence diplomacy, the basis of Indonesia’s defence diplomacy, and Indonesia’s priorities and objectives in conducting defence diplomacy. He noted that a common understanding of shared threats would prevent wars between states and emphasised Indonesia’s interest in conducting bilateral cooperation to building trust.
MAJGEN Syaiful Anwar said Indonesia’s objectives in conducting defence diplomacy were to increase trust in the region while increasing its own state defence capabilities. He also noted the role TNI plays in support of Indonesia’s overall diplomatic efforts led by Kemlu.
The third session saw speakers from Unhan and the Australian Defence Force present two case studies relevant to the theme. COL Dr Rudy Gultom delivered his analysis of the contemporary cyber threat noting the strong penetration of the internet and social media, especially in Indonesia. COL Gultom posed a number of key questions regarding Indonesia’s readiness to respond to this threat.
The second case study was presented by MAJ Michael Cook. He spoke about the opportunities available in the digital domain to maximise the impact of defence diplomacy through strategic communication.
The final session was a panel discussion where all four speakers engaged with seminar participants to delve deeper into the issues raised in the earlier sessions. One important point that was raised in the panel discussion was that mutual trust can be built when countries face a common threat, share common interests, develop common perspectives and then implement common solutions.
CDRE Bob Plath, Australian Defence Attache Jakarta closed the seminar by thanking all speakers and participants for their valuable contribution. He emphasised the value of the annual seminar as both a confidence building measure and also a means to discuss practical responses to shared challenges.
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