Press Release: Indo-Pacific Strategic Intelligence Examines Trump’s Strategic Retrenchment and Its Impacton Regional Security

ISI Secretariat
13 hours ago
1 min read

Jakarta, January 29, 2026 — Indo-Pacific Strategic Intelligence (ISI) convened a webinar titled “Spheres of Influence and Strategic Retrenchment: How Trump Reshapes Great Power Competition and Its Implications for the Indo-Pacific,” bringing together scholars and practitioners to assess evolving U.S. strategy and its regional implications.

The discussion examined the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, highlighting Washington’s shift toward strategic retrenchment, offshore balancing, and transactional diplomacy. Speakers emphasized that despite perceptions of unpredictability, the Indo-Pacific remains the United States’ strategic and economic center of gravity, reflected in its sustained naval presence and continued focus on key regional flashpoints.

From a regional perspective, the panel underscored growing uncertainty in the rules-based order and increasing pressure on U.S. allies to assume greater security responsibilities. The intensifying U.S.–China rivalry was also noted as a major challenge to ASEAN centrality, particularly amid the rise of minilateral security arrangements.

Addressing Indonesia’s strategic posture, speakers highlighted the need for greater strategic autonomy through internal balancing. Priorities identified included strengthening maritime surveillance, modernizing naval capabilities, enhancing port and fleet infrastructure, and safeguarding sea lines of communication—while maintaining Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy and avoiding entanglement in great power competition.

The webinar concluded that U.S. strategic retrenchment has reshaped—but not diminished—the Indo-Pacific’s centrality in global geopolitics. For Indonesia, the path forward lies in reinforcing maritime and defense capabilities, sustaining ASEAN centrality, and navigating great power rivalry through pragmatic, non-aligned diplomacy.