ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the extent to which Indonesia as a small but influential regional power is likely to become a secondary adopter, whose reaction to the emergence of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) will have a meaningful and disruptive effect on the hegemonic tension between China and the United States as well as on the future of security in the Asia-Pacific. It evaluates Indonesia’s adoption capacity, which is based on five diffusion variables and can be used to evaluate which response option would be most effective for Indonesia following a LAWS demonstration point. In addition to traditional state-based threats to its territorial integrity, Indonesian security forces have had to respond to internal instability and multiple insurrections, while being limited by the ongoing pressure of non-traditional threats. The Indonesian response reflects the notably nationalistic streak present within recent defence decision-making, mandating the involvement of domestic suppliers and imposing a technology transfer requirement on high-value arms procurements.
