US says it wants to help Indonesia provide maritime security

FILE: Mattis spoke briefly to reporters Tuesday after meeting with his Indonesian counterpart. (Photo By Monica King – United States Department of Defense, Public Domain)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis says the Trump administration wants to help Indonesia play a central role in maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mattis spoke briefly to reporters Tuesday after meeting with his Indonesian counterpart.

His visit to Jakarta reflects one of the key tenets of the broad national security strategy that he publicly unveiled last Friday in Washington — building partnerships and strengthening alliances.

Mattis told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. wants to help Indonesia realize its ambition to become a “maritime fulcrum” in the region. He says that, on that basis, the U.S. wants to work together with Indonesia on countering terrorism in the Asia-Pacific.