Macron’s much-anticipated visit could mark a critical milestone in the strategic partnership between the two countries, more particularly in matters of defense cooperation and strategic autonomy.

The current evolution of the regional and global security contexts is worrying, as challenges and uncertainty are rising. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is still ongoing despite recent attempts at mediation, the India-Pakistan conflict went hot for several hours, Israel continues to wage war in Gaza and target civilians, and territorial tensions are increasing worldwide including in Southeast Asia, particularly in the South China Sea.

In the meantime, the United States tends to disengage itself from its existing security commitments, instead relying on “deals” and the threat and implementation of what is perceived as economic sanctions, such as tariffs. Meanwhile, sovereignty violations are occurring in several parts of the world and strategic competition is increasing: The risk of major conflicts is rising exponentially.

Facing this security context, nations should be able to protect their sovereign interests despite external pressures. In other words, a country should be able to exert strategic autonomy.

Considered for years as a French doctrinal concept, strategic autonomy is more than that. It is usually defined as the ability of a state to pursue its national interests and exert its foreign policy without depending on other states.

Over the recent years, the question of strategic autonomy has been rising, and it is becoming a priority for numerous countries. One of the key aspects of strategic autonomy is the ability to build up a sovereign, domestic defense and technological industrial base (DTIB). Indonesia has been implementing this idea for several years, and is currently being strengthened by President Prabowo Subianto.