US defense chief backs Indonesia’s military modernization drive

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article. Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, looks to upgrade its military and replace its aging hardware, earmarking $8.89 billion this year for defense, the biggest allocation in its state budget JAKARTA, Indonesia - United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of modernizing Indonesia's military in a meeting with its defense chief, as Washington shores up ties in Southeast Asia amid geopolitical rivalry with China. Austin on Thursday, August 25, hosted at the Pentagon Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former…