Navy 'neutral' in procuring arms<\/p>\n
SURABAYA: Unlike the Air Force which has gone to many former
\ncommunist countries for its weaponry, the Indonesian Navy vowed
\non Thursday to rely on itself in modernizing its weaponry.<\/p>\n
"We opt not to take sides with either the West or East in
\nprocuring our arms because we are committed to standing on our
\nown feet," Rear Adm. Yussuf Solichien, the Navy Education
\ncommander, said in an apparent reference to the Cold War terms
\nfor NATO allies and Soviet-bloc allies, on the sidelines of the
\ninstitution's 57th anniversary celebration here.<\/p>\n
He was commenting on the Air Force, which acquired four
\nRussian-made jet fighters to end its long-standing dependence on
\nU.S. military aircraft.<\/p>\n
Yussuf said the Navy had built cooperation with state ship
\nmaker PT PAL in producing warships, including corvettes, starting
\nfrom 2005. Indonesia has purchased most of its warships from
\nBritain and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
The Navy has planned to add 22 warships to its fleet within
\nthe next decade. -- JP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/navy-neutral-in-procuring-arms-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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