Indonesia’s Blue-Water Ambition Requires Sustained Overseas Deployments

Indonesia is acquiring larger naval platforms like frigates and submarines to fulfill its ambition of becoming a blue-water navy. However, possessing advanced warships is insufficient without sustained, long-range operational deployments to test doctrine, logistics, and personnel under real-world conditions. The country's long-term participation in the U.N. maritime mission off Lebanon provided this crucial experience, but the mission's recent conclusion has left a significant capabilities gap. The analysis suggests that to continue developing its blue-water capacity, Indonesia should embed its navy within an existing multinational coalition. Joining the counter-piracy Combined Task Force 151 is proposed as a realistic and beneficial option to gain valuable operational experience.