Strategic Frontiers: Maritime Infrastructure, Interoperability, And The Australia Indonesia Security Nexus

Abstract

The recalibration of Australia’s 83 archipelago, places immense operational strategic posture, as articulated in the 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR), marks a decisive inflection point in its maritime defence orientation. While framed largely in terms of deterrence and strategic denial, this transformation carries broader implications for regional diplomacy and multilateral security cooperation particularly in relation to Indonesia, Australia’s closest maritime neighbour and a critical Indo-Pacific actor. Australia’s renewed emphasis on its northern defence infrastructure not only reflects a growing concern with the encroachment of major powers in its immediate region but also gestures towards a potential reimagining of maritime partnerships through deeper interoperability capability building.