Aussie officers visit RI on cultural exchange<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A group of military officers from the Australian
\nJoint Services Staff College are currently on a whirlwind tour of
\nIndonesia to familiarize themselves with the country's customs
\nand people.<\/p>\n
Headed by the college's commandant, Brig. J.B. Wilson, the 22-
\nmember group will criss-cross the country for the next week
\ncovering such places as Bandung, Batam, Balikpapan and Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Wilson said that given Indonesia's strategic and economic
\nimportance to Australia, it was imperative for them to gain
\nfirst-hand knowledge of the country.<\/p>\n
As he put it, the tour has a much broader purpose than just
\nstudying the military aspects and they hope to gain a better
\nunderstanding of the people and the culture of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Australian defense attache here, Brig. Kerry Mellor, said
\nthat in planning the itinerary he wanted the officers to \"go back
\nto Canberra knowing that there was more to Indonesia than a
\nwayang kulit show and a view of Candi Borobudur.\"<\/p>\n
The Joint Services Staff College trains officers at the
\nlieutenant colonel rank to prepare them for positions in the
\nAustralian Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
The college each year also hosts several Indonesian officers
\nin the program. The most notable graduate being the current Naval
\nCommander Adm. Tanto Koeswanto.<\/p>\n
According to Wilson, Indonesia is probably the most studied
\ncountry during the officers' stay in the college.<\/p>\n
He added that the participation of foreign officers in the
\ncollege training has also helped bring about an understanding of
\neach other's country.<\/p>\n
Out of some 2,000 graduates in the past 25-years, around 500
\nhave been from abroad.<\/p>\n
Indonesian-Australian military cooperation has been growing in
\nthe past few years in line with the increasing ties between
\nJakarta and Canberra.<\/p>\n
Mellor said that over the past two years joint military
\nactivities between the two sides have steadily increased. He
\nexpects that they will continue to do so since both sides stand
\nto benefit.(mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aussie-officers-visit-ri-on-cultural-exchange-1447893297",
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