Guided by the Vision to serve as a “Force Multiplier to support Foreign Policy and Good Governance in the Defence Ecosystem”, the Indo-Pacific Strategic Intelligence (ISI) was established in October 2023, under the auspices of Yayasan Rupa Madani Nusantara (Rupantara). ISI stands as an independent, non-partisan think tank committed to assisting the Indonesian government in producing well-informed decisions. It focuses on bridging the gap between regional and global dynamics, aligning the country's defence readiness, harmonising Indonesian foreign and defence policy concentric, and promoting good governance.

ISI will be well-placed to support the Indonesian Government as well as the defence industry ecosystem by providing, among other things:

​

1. A knowledge hub serving as a central repository for data, research, and analysis on regional security and arms dynamics. This includes a dashboard of incident tracking around the South China Sea and maritime power projection in the region.

2. Delivery of well - researched, strategic recommendations to influence long-term, medium-term, and short-term defence and security policies at national and regional levels. This involves assessing military innovation and technology for investment or procurement purposes.

3. Provision of advisory services to corporate entities on matters of defence strategy, procurement, and technology. This encompasses mapping of national defence industries’ capacity and identifying potential foreign partners to improve self-reliance in domestic research and development (R&D), maintenance and upgrade, and manufacturing.

4. Capacity-building initiatives for stakeholders in the foreign policy and defence sectors.

​

In its early inception as a think-tank, ISI received a recognition from the Republic of Indonesia Defence University (Universitas Pertahanan RI/UNHAN), signifying the commencement of collaboration between ISI and UNHAN. This recognition confirms ISI's status as a think-tank with strong academic and policy focus in foreign, defence, and security affairs.

​

The Indonesian Strategic Institute (ISI) establishes its rigorous analytical foundation by recruiting preeminent academics and specialists from the global policy research community. While the institute was launched under the distinguished leadership of its inaugural Executive Director, Dr. Curie Maharani, that mantle of research leadership has now passed to Dr. Ian Montratama, who guides the organization’s intellectual output alongside the Executive Management Team of Gautama Adi Kusuma and Aisha Kusumasomantri. This executive core is further fortified by the strategic counsel of a prestigious Board of Advisors, led by Dr. Muhammad Hadianto and featuring the venerable expertise of LTG (Ret) Dr. Yoedhi Swastanto and RADM (Ret) Dr. Surya Wiranto, S.H., M.H., ensuring that ISI remains a bastion of scholarly integrity and high-level policy insight.