Army's strength still below ideal, Gen. Feisal says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The strength of the Indonesian Army is still
\nbelow an ideal level, given its immense task to defend the nation
\nand maintain security and order in the huge archipelago, Armed
\nForces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"The army's force has not reached the required standard level
\nif compared to the large size of territory, population and state
\nassets that have to be protected,\" Feisal said during a ceremony
\nto mark the transfer of duty of the army chief of staff from Gen.
\nWismoyo Arismunandar to Gen. R. Hartono.<\/p>\n
\"Its current strength is only sufficient to fulfill the real
\nneeds of the army, be they in personnel, procurement of new
\nweapons, and other supporting facilities,\" he said at the
\nmilitary ceremony at the army headquarters on Jl. Merdeka Utara.<\/p>\n
Feisal underlined that the chief task of the army is to
\nmaintain the sovereignty over all the land territory of the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Besides this the army is also called on to help develop all
\nthe potentials of the country, to strengthen national defense and
\nto play an active role in socio-political affairs.<\/p>\n
Gen. Hartono, who was ABRI's chief of socio-political affairs,
\nformally took over command of the country's 300,000 strong army
\nyesterday. He became the 18th army chief of staff since it was
\nfounded nearly 50 years ago.<\/p>\n
Some of his predecessors turned up for the ceremony, which saw
\nthe rare appearance of Gen. (ret.) Abdul Haris Nasution, the
\nsecond army chief of staff and Indonesia's oldest living senior
\nmilitary officer. Nasution was chief of staff in 1948-1949 and
\nagain in 1955-1962.<\/p>\n
Other former chiefs of staff present include M.A. Panggabean
\n(1967-1969), Makmun Murod (1974-1978), Poniman ((1980-1983),
\nRudini (1983-1986), and Edi Sudrajat (1988-1993), now minister of
\ndefense and security. L.B. Moerdani, the former ABRI chief and
\ndefense minister, was also present.<\/p>\n
The transfer of duty followed the swearing in of Hartono as
\nchief of staff by President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace in
\nJakarta on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Hartono, whose rank was promoted to full four-star general on
\nFeb.1, will turn the mandatory retirement age of 55 in June next
\nyear. It is still anyone's guess whether his term of service will
\nbe extended beyond that. What is certain is that Wismoyo's active
\nduty had not been extended as he turned 55 last Friday.<\/p>\n
Feisal described that the transfer of duty in the army has
\nalways been a historical landmark because it reflects continuity
\nin the way the army is managed.<\/p>\n
He said to answer to the challenge facing the army given its
\npresent size and strength, troops should strive to increase their
\nprofessionalism by glorifying in the current \"moral movement to
\nreturn to the basics of soldiers.\"<\/p>\n
The \"back to basics\" concept had been initiated during
\nWismoyo's term and is expected to be continued by his
\npredecessor.<\/p>\n
Feisal said the army must restructure its centers of education
\nand training so that officers and troopers are always ready to
\ncarry out their tasks in defense and in politics.<\/p>\n
The ABRI chief praised Wismoyo for leaving a positive mark in
\nthe army through his leadership and urged Hartono to continue on
\nthe tasks that had been initiated by Wismoyo.<\/p>\n
After the ceremony, Hartono, who was mobbed by reporters, said
\nthat one of his most immediate task is to form a Military
\nHonorary Council to follow up on the current investigation of the
\nkillings of six East Timorese by troopers last month.<\/p>\n
Hartono said he would discuss the matter with Feisal, who
\nissued the order last week.<\/p>\n
On another issue, Hartono said he would also continue with the
\nprogram to set up infantry brigades at every regional military
\ncommand, something which was started during Wismoyo's leadership.<\/p>\n
He said he was involved in preparing the concept for the
\nestablishments of these infantry brigades when he was governor of
\nthe National Resilience Institute two years ago.<\/p>\n
The brigades were eliminated during streamlining of the ABRI
\nin 1985 by then ABRI chief Gen. L.B. Moerdani because they were
\nconsidered inefficient, specially from the cost point of view.<\/p>\n
Wismoyo, in reestablishing the brigades, said they were
\nessential and vital to the operation of the regional military
\ncommands. (rms)<\/p>",
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