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."

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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.