Mr Alfin Febrian Basundoro1
1Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Biography:
Alfin Febrian Basundoro is a Master of Strategic Studies (Advanced) student at the Australian National University. His research focus includes Indonesian foreign and strategic policy, defence modernization, and Southeast Asian defence and security. Previously, he was an expert staff in the Indonesia-China High-level Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism, Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia. His opinions have been published in numerous local and foreign outlets, including Detik, Jawa Pos, Antara, Lowy Institute, and East Asia Forum. His academic works have also been published in the Yale Review of International Studies (YRIS) and Tamkang Journal of International Affairs.
Abstract:
Military modernization is a common strategy that states employ to anticipate and respond to potential threats. This strategy is evident in Southeast Asian states, where countries have engaged in varying levels of balancing in the last fifteen years amidst the escalating South China Sea conflict due to their different historical experiences and strategic cultures, which lead to different perceptions of threats. Departing from this context, this research examines the contrasting cases of Indonesia and Vietnam’s military modernization through a balancing lens by comparing both countries’ historical experiences and strategic cultures, especially in facing China’s aggressive behavior. Vietnam had engaged with China in a more hostile situation, where both parties faced each other in border conflict and lethal naval skirmishes throughout the 1970s-1980s. On the other hand, while considering China a threat, Indonesia did not face similar hostilities with Beijing as Vietnam did. This experience led both countries to show different approaches to modernizing their military amidst the South China Sea conflict. Indonesia’s military modernization is characterized by a weak commitment to balance against China, which fits the underbalancing definition. In contrast, its historical experience against China led to Vietnam’s stronger balancing commitment. Based on the official documents and statements, this led the country to clearly identify the South China Sea conflict as a cornerstone of its military modernization. This comparative analysis will contribute further to the broader research of Southeast Asian strategy by incorporating historical experience and the role of strategic culture in a state’s decision-making in addressing existential threats.