Indonesian fleet in somewhat sorry state<\/p>\n
Although Indonesia maintains the biggest navy in Southeast Asia
\nits fleet is not in good repair.<\/p>\n
It can put to sea but its combat abilities are questionable.<\/p>\n
On Dec. 8 there will be an exercise involving 40 warships from
\nSurabaya moving through the Straits of Makassar to seas near the
\nAmbalat region.<\/p>\n
This oil and gas-rich area was the site of a territorial
\ndispute with Malaysia earlier this year<\/p>\n
In Surabaya's Tanjung Perak naval port, rows of old East
\nGerman warships can be seen looking distinctly distressed. These
\nalso have a fascinating past that doesn't appear in the official
\nhistories; they're the remnants of a famous deal done in the
\nearly 1990s by B.J. Habibie, then minister of research and
\ntechnology.<\/p>\n
Criticism of the purchase by some journalists led to the
\nbanning of two news magazines. This focused international
\nattention on press freedom in Indonesia and highlighted other
\naspects of the authoritarian regime.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Admiral Bernard Kent Sondakh was reported
\nas saying, \"the Navy's vessels are almost obsolete and some are
\nsecond-hand.\" He said the Navy had fewer than 130 patrol craft.<\/p>\n
The cost of bringing the Navy up to strength where it can
\nreally defend the archipelago's extensive sea-lanes would be
\naround US$ 2.7 trillion, according to some military sources. The
\nmost pressing need is for fast patrol boats.<\/p>\n
The Navy currently has two German-built submarines that have
\nbeen in service since the 1980s.<\/p>\n
The purchase of four new submarines from South Korea has
\nalready been announced. These will cost US$ 270 million each and
\nare expected to be delivered in 2008.<\/p>\n
Neighboring Singapore has four submarines, all from Sweden.
\nMalaysia has ordered three subs from France to establish its
\nfirst underwater fleet. (Duncan Graham)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-fleet-in-somewhat-sorry-state-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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