INDONESIA-U.S. RELATIONS

Photo:  View from the cliffs at Pura Luhur Uluwatu, Bali.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.　
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
United States Indonesia Relations Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 3, 2012
Since Secretary Clinton visited Indonesia in 2009 on her first international trip as Secretary of State, and two years after the launch of the Comprehensive Partnership, United States-Indonesia relations have never been stronger. President Obama's and President Yudhoyono's commitment to elevate bilateral relations by intensifying consultations and developing habits of cooperation laid the foundation for a strategically vital partnership between the world's second and third largest democracies. The U.S. Secretary of State and the Indonesian Foreign Minister co-chair a Joint Commission to ensure continued momentum to sustain the partnership. Some notable recent achievements include:

Regional and Global Cooperation
The U.S. and Indonesia cooperate closely in the region’s multilateral bodies, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and East Asia Summit (EAS). The U.S. decision to join the EAS, and President Obama’s participation, underscores U.S. commitment to deepening engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.
Officials from both countries consult regularly on issues such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, climate change, and the spread of communicable diseases.
Through increased high-level visits, the bilateral relationship continues to grow. Secretary Clinton attended the ARF in Indonesia in July 2011. President Obama and Secretary Clinton traveled to Bali for the third U.S.-ASEAN Leaders Meeting in November 2011. Since 2010, we have taken turns hosting the Joint Commission Meetings.
The U.S. continues to consult closely with Indonesia to support and strengthen the three pillars of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty—nonproliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and disarmament. We have worked with Indonesia to encourage all ASEAN countries to conclude Additional Protocols to their safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and we welcome Indonesia’s partnership in the IAEA’s Peaceful Uses Initiative.
Under Indonesia’s ASEAN 2011 chairmanship, Indonesia worked closely with the United States and the other nuclear weapon states (P5) to resolve outstanding issues that had prevented P5 signature of the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty. Successful negotiations concluded at the November 2011 EAS.
As host of the Bali Democracy Forum, Indonesia is a leader in advancing democracy in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. attends the annual forum as an observer.
Economy, Trade and Investment
Indonesia will be the host for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2013. The U.S. is committed to supporting Indonesia's host year, deepening our cooperation within APEC, and building on the strong momentum from the U.S. host year in 2011.
Since 2009, U.S. exports of goods to Indonesia have increased from $5.1 billion to $7.4 billion in 2011, and imports of goods have increased from $12.9 billion to $19.1 billion. United States foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia expanded to $1.5 billion in 2011, making the United States the third largest contributor.
The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Development Credit Authority loan guarantees helped spur employment by financing approximately $20 million in loans and increasing access to financial services for over 26,000 Indonesians.
The U.S.-Indonesia Infrastructure Memorandum of Understanding, signed on August 8, 2012, will support greater bilateral cooperation on infrastructure projects.
Education
The number of U.S. visas issued to Indonesian students has risen by 25% over the past two years. Both governments are committed to continuing to increase the number of students studying in one another’s country in the next five years.
Under the Higher Education Partnership, the U.S. will invest over $165 million from 2010-2014 to promote educational cooperation with Indonesia. This includes support for expanded academic exchanges, including the new Fulbright Indonesia Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) program for U.S. and Indonesian students and scholars, the Community College Initiative for Indonesian students and faculty, support for Americans studying languages in Indonesia, and English Language programs for Indonesians. Support for capacity building efforts, such as USAID’s Higher Education Leadership and Management program and several dozen university partnerships are also included.
USAID’s graduate degree program provides $20 million in scholarship funding for Indonesian students to study in the United States and Indonesia.
An expansion of USAID’s basic education program will provide a total of $83 million for teacher training and development of strategies for early grade reading programs.
Development
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact for $600 million, signed in November 2011, provides investments in renewable energy, maternal and child nutrition, and support for Indonesia's efforts to modernize its public procurement system.
In 2010, the United States Peace Corps program in Indonesia reopened and now has 63 volunteers in East Java and three in West Java. Next year, the Peace Corps anticipates 40 new volunteer placements in East Java and 20 in West Java.
USAID’s Mobile Money partnership will soon provide banking services via cell phones and other mobile devices to rural populations.
OPIC is launching a second $20 million credit facility to support microfinance institutions.
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and USAID have formed a partnership to develop the capacity of the private sector to improve agricultural policy and productivity by establishing an agricultural research foundation.
Climate, Environment and Energy
MCC’s "Green Prosperity" initiative will leverage private sector investments in support of Indonesia’s green growth strategy.
USAID’s $40 million Indonesia Forestry and Climate Support Program is working across eight landscapes to pursue a 50% reduction in the rate of forest degradation and loss; improved management of 3.5 million hectares of forest; a 50% reduction in project site green house gas emissions; and a 20% increase in sustainable financial resources.
Through a grant to the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of State is supporting development of the Indonesian Climate Change Center, and the work it is doing to map and slow the loss of peatlands, a key cause of greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia.
U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will sponsor a study mission to the U.S. in October 2012. We hope to share U.S.’s best practices in unconventional gas development and to discuss policy and investment in Indonesia’s energy sector.
Through the $16 million Indonesia Clean Energy Development project, USAID is assisting Indonesia to expand its domestic energy supply and fulfill its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the energy and transportation sectors.
Defense and Security
Defense trade is an increasingly important component of the overall bilateral relationship. The U.S. is granting 30 Excess Defense Articles F-16s to Indonesia, with Indonesia refurbishing them with national funds. This is a landmark case of defense cooperation.
The U.S. is procuring $2.2 million worth of heavy construction equipment, to enhance the training capacity at the newly-formed Indonesian Peacekeeping Center.
A humanitarian relief joint exercise with the U.S., Indonesia and other countries in the region is scheduled to take place in November. This exercise will add to the more than 170 bilateral mil-to-mil engagements each year between the U.S. and Indonesia.
U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds are used to foster professionalism and technical expertise in the Indonesian military, while expanding overall operational capability.
Rule of Law and Law Enforcement
With funding from the Department of State, the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) provides law enforcement assistance, capacity, and competency development in combating transnational organized crime, protecting natural resources, forensics, as well as maritime, port and border security.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT), which also receives Department of State funds, provides rule of law assistance, such as training to the special prosecutor task force on counterterrorism, supports a court security program, and advises on asset forfeiture, anti-money laundering, and terrorist finance legislation.
The Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security Program provides training on maritime law enforcement, weapons of mass destruction, and interdiction.
USAID enhances rule of law by strengthening the Indonesian Supreme Court, improving legal education, and enhancing the ability of local NGOs to advocate for human rights.
The FBI Legal Attaché conducts joint, parallel investigations with the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
In 2012 the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance program provided training and equipment to 545 Indonesian police officers. Course graduates are now training their colleagues in counterterrorism skills, such as crisis response, K-9s, and blast investigation.

USS BLUE RIDGE CREW MEMBERS SERVE AS GOODWILL AMBASSADORS

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Indonesia (May 14, 2012) Sailors assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) carry tools and supplies at Yayasan Pendidikan Banglin school during a community service event in Jakarta, Indonesia. These port visits represent an opportunity for U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge crewmembers to serve as goodwill ambassadors of the U.S., promoting peace and stability in the region and to demonstrate their commitment to regional partnerships and foster relations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mel Orr/Released)




Blue Ridge Builds Friendship with Indonesia 
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Norman, USS Blue Ridge Public Affairs
JAKARTA, Indonesia (NNS) -- Sailors aboard U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), embarked 7th Fleet staff and Marines assigned to Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Pacific departed Jakarta, Indonesia May 15, after a four-day port visit strengthening bonds between the U.S. and Indonesian navies.

Blue Ridge Sailors participated in a community service event that gave them the opportunity to demonstrate the Navy's dedication to fostering positive relations with countries in the Asian-Pacific region.

They participated in sporting events with Indonesian nationals and interacted with the community through an outreach project involving a children's school. Sailors volunteered their time at the Yayasan Pendidikan Bangun School to help create a soccer field for the children.

"Giving my time to create a soccer field for the children at the school was a very fulfilling and rewarding experience," said Ensign Wanda Colon, Blue Ridge stock control officer. "The work we did at the school was hard labor, but the children made it all worth while. You could tell the children really wanted us there."

For one Sailor, the port visit was much more personal.

"I was glad to have this opportunity to come back to Indonesia after being a part of the relief efforts for the 2004 tsunami," said U.S. 7th Fleet Staff member Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Philip Keehn. "It was enlightening knowing I helped Indonesia get back on its feet when I was assigned to the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in 2004. I never thought I'd be back to Indonesia to see how the Navy's hard work paid off."

USNS MERCY BEGINS MISSION TO INDONESIA

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
USNS Mercy Departs for Humanitarian Mission
From a Military Sealift Command News Release

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2012 - Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy left Naval Station San Diego today to begin its part in Pacific Partnership 2012, a four-and-a-half-month humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Mercy is crewed by 70 civil service mariners working for Military Sealift Command who operate and navigate the ship while Navy planners and medical personnel plan and execute the mission.
The ship was scheduled to depart May 1, but a mechanical problem delayed the ship's departure for two days.

Pacific Partnership 2012 will take medical, dental, veterinary, engineering and civic assistance projects to Southeast Asia and Oceania. It builds on relationships developed during previous missions, officials said, noting Mercy's participation in international relief efforts following the December 2004 tsunami that struck Southeast Asia and its 2006, 2008 and 2010 humanitarian and civic assistance deployments to the region.
Pacific Partnership 2012 is led by three element commanders: Navy Capt. James Morgan, mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2012 and commander of San Diego-based Destroyer Squadron 7; Navy Capt. Timothy Hinman, commander of the medical treatment facility, who is responsible for the hospital and providing medical care aboard Mercy and ashore; and Capt. Jonathan Olmsted, Mercy's civil service master who has overall responsibility for the ship and the safety of its nearly 1,000 passengers.

"Having participated in Pacific Partnership 2009, I know firsthand what an impact we have on the local populations we visit," Olmsted said. "In building these relationships, we'll have a better understanding of how multiple militaries and civilian organizations can work together to overcome the adversity of a natural disaster."

Throughout the 2012 Pacific Partnership mission, the 894-foot Mercy will serve as a platform from which U.S. and partner nation militaries and nongovernmental organizations will coordinate and carry out humanitarian and civic activities in each country. Japanese landing ship tank Oosumi, carrying a complete medical team, helicopters and representatives from Japanese volunteer organizations, will join Mercy during its stops in the Philippines and Vietnam.

Military Sealift Command's civil service mariners are vital to the mission's success. They navigate the ship to each mission stop and provide the fresh water and electricity needed to run the shipboard hospital and to support the mission personnel living and working aboard.

In addition, the civil service mariners play a critical role in mission success by operating two 33-foot utility boats to transport patients and mission personnel between ship's anchorage and shore. Mercy is too large to pull pierside at any of the mission stops, officials explained, so the operation of these small boats, which can carry more than twice as many passengers as Mercy's two embarked helicopters, will greatly increase the number of people who will benefit from the mission.

"This is the biggest thing I've ever been involved in my life," said Second Officer Casey Bell, a Military Sealift Command civil service mariner working aboard Mercy as the cargo mate. "I'm really excited to get going. I've spent my career moving ammunition or fuel. Now, a better name for me is 'patient mate,' because I'll be working to safely move patients and personnel to and from the ship."

The deployment also will foster new relationships when Mercy stops in three Indonesian islands for the first time in early June.

"I am really looking forward to going beyond what we have done in the past as part of our exchanges," said Hinman about the medical capabilities of the mission. For previous missions, he said, surgeries were traditionally performed by U.S. and partner nation providers aboard Mercy.

"This year's mission provides opportunities to integrate host nation providers into performing surgeries, both on the ship and ashore, as a true exchange of expertise and practice that will greatly increase medical capacity and build relationships," he added.
The mission will include personnel from all branches of the U.S. military, the State and Justice departments, the Agency for International Development, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, 12 partner nations, 11 nongovernmental organizations and numerous in-country organizations.

Military Sealift Command operates about 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces, conduct specialized missions and replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea.

NEW CONSULATE GENERAL COMPOUND IN SURABAYA, INDONESIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
United States Dedicates New Consulate General Compound in Surabaya, Indonesia
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
May 3, 2012
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Scot Marciel dedicated the new Consulate General facility in Surabaya today, celebrating our deepening commitment to the comprehensive partnership between the United States and Indonesia. Governor of East Java, Dr. H. Soekarwo; Acting Director General of America and Europe Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. M.Wahid Supriyadi; Consul General, Kristen Bauer; and Director of the Office of Design and Engineering of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), William Miner participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Occupying a six-acre site in the Citra Raya development, the new facility serves as an important platform for U.S. diplomacy in Indonesia and throughout the region and creates a secure, state-of-the-art, environmentally-sustainable workplace for approximately 200 employees.

The Consulate General provides improved facilities to serve both U.S. and Indonesian citizens, such as a more comfortable consular area for visa services and American citizen services and an Information Resources Center where information and programs on the United States will be available.

The compound incorporates numerous sustainable features, most notably a storm water management system designed to capture downpours and slowly discharge the water to the city so that flooding is minimized; the use of drip irrigation and recycled wastewater; and a wastewater treatment plant.

Aurora, LLC of Rockville, MD constructed the new Consulate General and Sorg Architects of Washington, D.C. is the architect of record. The $64 million project generated hundreds of jobs in both the United States and Indonesia.
Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, OBO has completed 89 new diplomatic facilities and has moved more than 27,000 people into safe, secure, and functional facilities. OBO has an additional 43 projects in design or construction.