Opening Thoughts

“The world is bigger than five!” This striking slogan, popularized by Türkiye in its bid to reform global governance, is more than a diplomatic protest — it’s a moral indictment of a world order shackled by the monopoly of five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It also echoes deeper frustrations among nations whose histories, sacrifices, and struggles remain absent from global memory.

Take, for example, the way colonial epistemology still dominates historical narratives. Generations have grown up believing that the Americas were “discovered” by Columbus in 1492 — erasing centuries of Indigenous civilization and earlier voyages by Norse seafarers like Leif Erikson. This intellectual erasure is not accidental; it’s the scaffolding of colonialism and neocolonialism. If our children still carry the burden of inferiority, it is because we’ve neglected to honour our own pasts.

Nowhere is this historical amnesia more evident — and more powerfully refuted — than in Indonesia. The Indonesian archipelago, long a target of European and Asian imperial powers, has also been a bastion of resistance and maritime identity. From Aceh’s ocean queens to guerrilla naval warfare during the 20th-century independence struggle, Indonesia offers rich lessons for other littoral nations — especially Bangladesh, and particularly its women naval officers. The sea has always been a battlefield, and women have long stood at the helm.

Rediscoveries such as the shipwreck near Aceh — revealing historic trade ties and cultural exchanges with Bengal — remind us that our maritime legacy was once deeply interconnected, long before colonial borders fragmented the region’s strategic consciousness.

A Forgotten Maritime Bond: Aceh and Bengal

Recent archaeological discoveries and ethnographic studies have illuminated a fascinating chapter in South and Southeast Asian maritime history — the ancient trade and cultural links between the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam and Bengal. The discovery of a shipwreck off the coast of Aceh, believed to date back to the 16th or early 17th century, has drawn the attention of maritime anthropologists. Among the recovered artefacts were ceramics, textiles, and metal wares bearing unmistakable Bengali craftsmanship and script, suggesting vibrant trade routes that connected Chittagong and Gaur to the ports of northern Sumatra. These exchanges went beyond commerce; they fostered the transmission of Islamic scholarship, seafaring technology, and political solidarity against European colonial intrusion. It is increasingly clear that Bengal and Aceh were not peripheral outposts, but active nodes in an Indian Ocean network of Muslim maritime power — one that saw the sea not as a barrier, but as a shared strategic space. For Bangladesh today, this rediscovered connection offers not only historical pride but also strategic inspiration rooted in regional maritime unity.

The Twin Occupations: Dutch Exploitation and Japanese Brutality

Indonesia’s colonial experience was a double occupation. The Dutch arrived in the early 17th century under the guise of commerce but soon converted trade routes into imperial arteries. “United East India Company,” which is Dutch for (VOC— “Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie”),  and later the Dutch Crown, monopolized spices, enslaved labour, and exerted naval dominance over the archipelago. Ports, fisheries, and seaborne trade were ruthlessly controlled.

Then came Japan in 1942. Welcomed by some Indonesians as liberators from Dutch tyranny, the Japanese regime quickly revealed its own brutal face. Forced labour (Romusha), mass exploitation of women as “comfort women,” cultural suppression, and economic extraction created a different but equally oppressive regime. Ironically, the militarization of Indonesian youth by the Japanese sowed the seeds of resistance — and eventually, a formidable indigenous fighting force.

Before Colonialism: The Admiral Queen of Aceh

Long before European boots touched Indonesian soil, the archipelago was already a flourishing maritime civilization. One of the most remarkable chapters in this history lies in the Sultanate of Aceh. In the 16th century, it was home to one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful navies — led, astonishingly, by a woman.

Admiral Keumalahayati, known as the “Queen of the Ocean,” was the world’s first recorded female admiral. She commanded the Inong Balee, a fleet composed entirely of widows whose husbands had died fighting colonial aggression. Educated at the Aceh Royal Military Academy, Keumalahayati was a master of naval warfare, diplomacy, and courage. She personally led naval assaults against Portuguese and Dutch forces, and in a moment of legendary defiance, killed Dutch Admiral Cornelis de Houtman in combat — a thunderous act that echoed through the colonial world and cemented her place in maritime history.

Her leadership challenged patriarchal norms centuries before gender inclusion became a policy concern. For Bangladesh, which is witnessing a rising cohort of women naval officers, Keumalahayati’s legacy is not just empowering — it’s foundational. Women have always belonged on the bridge, not just the margins.

Maritime Resistance: From Revolution to Republic

Indonesia’s war of independence (1945–1949) was not just fought in the jungles or cities — it was waged at sea. Despite lacking a formal navy, Indonesian revolutionaries recognized that maritime control was key in an archipelago of over 17,000 islands.

The embryonic BKR Laut (Badan Keamanan Rakyat Laut, or People's Security Agency for the Sea), which later evolved into the ALRI (Angkatan Laut Republik Indonesia, or Indonesian Navy), was the maritime wing of the early Indonesian resistance formed in the wake of independence in 1945 emerged with whatever vessels could be found: repurposed fishing boats, captured Japanese crafts, even wooden canoes. These ragtag fleets waged asymmetric naval warfare — smuggling arms, disrupting Dutch supply lines, and asserting control over vital waterways. With ingenuity and courage, the ALRI turned the seas into a theatre of defiance.

These operations weren’t just tactical; they were symbolic. Controlling the sea meant declaring sovereignty. In many ways, the ALRI’s improvisations anticipated today’s doctrine of littoral warfare — exploiting geography, leveraging civil-military partnerships, and engaging the enemy in dynamic, unpredictable ways.

Women in War: From Admiral Widows to Revolutionaries

Women were not bystanders in this struggle. They were medics, couriers, saboteurs, sentinels, and fighters. Inspired by heroines like Kartini, Cut Nyak Dhien, and Keumalahayati herself, Indonesian women challenged both colonialism and patriarchy.

During Japanese occupation, women endured immense suffering — but also emerged politically awakened. They joined logistics operations, sabotaged colonial infrastructure, and coordinated resistance networks. In coastal zones, they served as eyes and ears, alerting revolutionaries to enemy movement. Their role was neither ornamental nor incidental. It was tactical. Operational. Strategic. Indispensable.

Revisiting “The World Is Bigger Than Five”

The Turkish slogan “Dünya besten büyüktür!” (“The world is bigger than five!”) encapsulates a growing frustration with the UN Security Council’s unrepresentative structure — dominated by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. Emerging powers like Türkiye, and indeed much of the Global South, demand a world where the voices of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Muslim-majority nations are no longer ignored.

This slogan resonates in Ankara, Brasilia, Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta, and Tokyo alike. Particularly Indonesia, and Bangladesh are nations that carry the memory of anti-colonial struggle. Both are maritime states. Both seek dignity, sovereignty, and security in a world where power should be shared — not hoarded.

Five Lessons for Bangladesh Navy — Especially the Female Officers

As Bangladesh Navy charts its course toward becoming a credible regional maritime force, Indonesia’s experience offers profound insights — especially for its rising cadre of women officers.

1. Victory Begins with Resolve, Not Arsenal. The Acehnese navy and ALRI were built on willpower, not warships. Strategy, morale, and local knowledge are force multipliers. A fighting spirit connected with ageless strategic culture, and grounded in national identity is more vital than the number of hulls in a fleet.

2. Use Geography as a Weapon. Indonesia’s revolutionaries turned islands into launch pads. Bangladesh must do the same with its deltaic terrain, countless tributaries — integrating naval, amphibious, sister services, and civilian maritime capabilities into a coherent littoral defence posture.

3. Inclusion Is Not Optional — it’s Operational. Admiral Keumalahayati proved centuries ago what many still debate: women belong in command? Today, Bangladesh Navy’s women deserve to be integrated across command, engineering, cyber, and special operations — not as tokens but as tactical assets.

4. History Is Doctrine. Bangladesh must invest in scientific research studying and teaching its own maritime history — and that of its neighbours. From Aceh to the Bay of Bengal, past resistance must influence present strategy. There is no denying the fact that naval education must be rooted in history and heritage.

5. Train for Asymmetry and Adversity. From wooden ships to improvised flotillas, Indonesia’s naval heroes operated under constraint — and still won. Bangladesh’s sailors and officers must be prepared to embrace ingenuity to train and fight smart, adapt fast, and lead under fog and friction.

Final Reflections: From Nusantara to the Bay of Bengal

The history of Indonesia is not a distant foreign tale; it is a regional treasure chest of wisdom. Its story is one of sea-bound sovereignty, of women who defied colonial navies, and of a people who turned geography into strategy. As Bangladesh Navy moves from defending coasts to be part of shaping Indo-Pacific dynamics, it must remember: maritime power is not inherited; it is earned — through struggle, sacrifice, and seafaring courage. And for the women of the Bangladesh Navy: the ocean does not discriminate. It remembers those who dared to lead — not those who waited for permission.


Writer: Commodore Syed Misbah Uddin Ahmad, (C), NUP, ndc, afwc, psc, BN (retd), Director General, Bangladesh Institute of Maritime Research and Development (BIMRAD). Email: misbah28686@gmail.com