Washington DC - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday that he has established a "Major Defense Cooperation Partnership" with the country of Indonesia.

In a press release, the Pentagon said the partnership serves as "a framework to advance bilateral defense cooperation" between the countries "in order to maintain peace and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific region."

The agreement features three "foundational pillars" – military organization and capacity building, training and military education, and exercises and operational cooperation.

In a statement on X, Hegseth described the partnership as "recognition of the strength and potential of our bilateral defense ties."

Indonesia has the strongest military in Southeast Asia, according to the Global Firepower defense analysis site.

While Jakarta says it maintains a non-aligned diplomatic posture, last year it joined the BRICS bloc of emerging economies that includes Russia, China, and Iran – all countries to which the US is aggressively hostile to.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday for oil talks.

But Prabowo has also signed a trade deal with President Donald Trump and joined his so-called "Board of Peace."

The country is strategically located on the Malacca Strait – the world's busiest chokepoint for oil and petroleum liquids, according to the US Energy Information Administration.