Strengthening the Strategic Role of the Indonesian Diaspora in Non-Military National Defense and National Resilience

Catur Susaningsih; Vita Nurul Fahtya

doi:10.59890/ijist.v3i12.218

Authors

Catur Susaningsih Politeknik Pengayoman Indonesia
Vita Nurul Fahtya Politeknik Pengayoman Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59890/ijist.v3i12.218

Keywords:

Indonesian Diaspora, Non-Military National Defense, National Resilience, Defense Diplomacy, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Abstract

This article examines how the Indonesian diaspora can be positioned as a strategic non-military asset to strengthen national defense and national resilience. Against a backdrop of evolving security threats ranging from AI enabled warfare, cyberattacks, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, climate change and disasters the study argues that defense can no longer be confined to territorial and military dimensions alone. Instead, it adopts a qualitative approach through an integrative literature review on defense diplomacy, national resilience, and diaspora studies, complemented by analysis of recent Indonesian and international research on health diplomacy, economic resilience, climate adaptation, and identity politics. The findings show that Indonesian diaspora communities already contribute de facto to non-military defense: as health professionals in strategic health diplomacy, entrepreneurs and MSME partners in economic resilience, religious and community leaders in ideological resilience, and knowledge brokers in climate and disaster risk reduction. However, these contributions remain fragmented and under-institutionalized in current policy frameworks. The article proposes several strategic directions, including diaspora health and DRR corps, digital security and narrative training, economic defense partnerships, and transnational environmental networks. It concludes that recognizing and systematically empowering the diaspora will extend the ethos of bela negara beyond borders and help build a genuinely networked Indonesian national resilience.

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