While the U.S. presidential election is less than 3 weeks away, Indonesia will be getting a new president this weekend.
And the change at the top has a particular meaning for Hawaiʻi.
For the past five years, Prabowo Subianto has been Indonesiaʻs defense minister. He's a retired military general, with links to past human rights abuses.
Subianto will follow the 10 years of President Joko Widodo's leadership. Since Subianto was elected president in February, he's met top officials across the Asia Pacific.
On the same trip where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Subianto spoke with Japan's prime minister about deepening economic and security cooperation.
It was that security cooperation that put the incoming president on the radar of Hawaiʻi-based Indo-Pacific Command.
Indonesia sent a warship to this year's Rim of the Pacific exercises, and just last month, it was part of another drill in Hawaiʻi.
The Indonesian Air Force worked closely with the Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron of the Hawaiʻi Air National Guard.
Indonesian forces also take part in jungle warfare training in Hawaiʻi.
In fact, the Defense Department says the two countries now hold more than 220 “defense engagements” each year.
Prabowoʻs interests go well beyond the military. He wants to increase Indonesia's economic growth to 8% a year— up from 5% now.
Among other goals, he also wants to boost international tourism.
