Bakamla encourages wider ASEAN participation in coast guard exercises

Photo caption: Indonesia's Bakamla Chief, Vice Admiral Irvansyah, with the Singapore Police Coast Guard (SPCG) and MMEA welcomes the arrival of MMEA personnel at the Bakamla base in Batam, Riau Islands, on Tuesday (August 11, 2026).

Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) has encouraged future joint coast guard exercises to involve more ASEAN member states, following a tripartite exercise held by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore in Riau Islands.

Bakamla Chief, Vice Admiral Irvansyah, said the trilateral exercise was expected to serve as a model for ASEAN countries to strengthen maritime security cooperation in the region.

"I hope this will also become a model for the ASEAN region, where there will be more such exercises involving more countries and more extensive training materials," Irvansyah said here on Tuesday.

He made the statement on the sidelines of the high-level meeting on tripartite coast guard cooperation, which also involved Singapore and Malaysia.

The current exercise, he added, does not yet involve all ASEAN member states, as involving every country would require more in-depth discussion and coordination.

Timor-Leste has also become the ASEAN's 11th member, he said, adding that an exercise involving all member states would require more complex preparation, including in terms of coordination and budget.

"We start with our closest neighbors first. These are the nearest, easiest to coordinate with, and the budget and cost support may not be too large since it only involves crossing a short distance," he said.

Irvansyah noted by involving countries, such as Philippines or Vietnam, would require greater preparation due to the longer geographical distance.

The trilateral cooperation between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore was therefore seen as a more efficient initial step toward establishing a pattern for joint exercises.

Moreover, he explained that strengthening cooperation between coast guards is important, as the maritime security threats faced by countries in the region are relatively similar, ranging from drug smuggling and human trafficking to people smuggling and theft at sea.

He also expressed hope the exercise could continue and become a model for maritime security cooperation in the ASEAN region.

"The coast guards in ASEAN are united. We stand together to safeguard maritime security," Irvansyah said.