U.S. backs TNI's accountability attempts<\/p>\n
Admiral Dennis C. Blair, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific
\nCommand, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia today faces many challenges. The United States
\nshares Indonesia's aspirations for security, peaceful
\ndevelopment, and prosperity. We want to help.<\/p>\n
In past years, the Pacific Command had close relations with
\nthe armed forces of Indonesia. We conducted exercises together,
\nand provided training on common equipment. However in response to
\nthe actions of the Indonesian Military (TNI) following the
\nreferendum in East Timor, the U.S. reduced its military
\ncooperation with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Developments in Indonesia, the continuing reform of the TNI,
\nand our common campaign against international terrorism offer the
\npossibility of renewed cooperation. A higher level of cooperation
\nwould be in the interests of both our countries.<\/p>\n
Let me review the areas where our two armed forces now work
\ntogether. The United States Pacific Command sponsors many
\nconferences to improve the capability of the armed force of the
\nregion to conduct common missions. Among them: Senior officers
\nfrom Indonesia also recently attended the Pacific Area Senior
\nOfficer Logistics Seminar, the Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference,
\nthe Pacific Armies Management Seminar, where military leaders
\nfrom different countries broaden their perspectives.<\/p>\n
Indonesian officers and officials also attend the Asia-Pacific
\nCenter for Security Studies in Hawaii, to share views with their
\ncounterparts from the region, and improve their understanding of
\nregional security concerns and opportunities for cooperation.<\/p>\n
Together with the armed forces of the Asia-Pacific region and
\nthose that have interests in the region, we have established an
\nAsia-Pacific Area Network (APAN). APAN (www.apan-info.net)
\nprovides Internet-based communications for military officers,
\ndefense officials and non-governmental organizations to share
\nsensitive, but unclassified, information. Though APAN is just
\nover a year old, we now have over 3,600 users from 63 countries,
\nincluding six from right here in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
This will improve the ability of regional armed forces to
\nconduct humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, and to work
\ntogether in other operations. Indonesian officers are among those
\nfrom 28 nations who have participated in these great workshops.<\/p>\n
In addition to agreed procedures, a means to communicate, and
\nstaff planning skills, we need good old-fashioned practice here
\nin the Asia-Pacific region. In May this year we had the first
\nTeam Challenge exercise.<\/p>\n
Team Challenge linked the bilateral exercises Cobra Gold in
\nThailand, Balikatan in the Philippines, and Tandem Thrust in
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
It involved both command post exercises and field exercises,
\nand focused on the multilateral operations across a spectrum of
\nmissions -- from humanitarian assistance to UN peace enforcement.
\nSingapore forces participated in the Cobra Cold phase in
\nThailand, and several other nations -- including Indonesia,
\nJapan, and Malaysia -- sent teams of observers.<\/p>\n
I would hope that Indonesia, with its strong tradition of UN
\npeacekeeping participation, would be able to participate in Cobra
\nGold and Team Challenge in May next year.<\/p>\n
The attacks on the World Trade Center and the loss of innocent
\ncivilians from many countries and faiths, including a large
\nnumber from this region, have provided a new focus for regional
\nsecurity cooperation. In some countries such as Afghanistan,
\nterrorist groups were in league with national governments. In
\nothers such as the southern Philippines, terrorist groups had
\nbecome as powerful as local governments.<\/p>\n
Learning from the Sept. 11 tragedy, we must continue to
\nenhance regional security cooperation to deal with 21st century
\nthreats. Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups operate in large,
\nmultiethnic, and open societies.<\/p>\n
One only has to observe Afghan people celebrating their
\nliberation from Taliban rule in city after city, to know that the
\nTaliban do not -- nor have they ever -- represented the Afghan
\npeople. American efforts to defeat al-Qaeda and the Taliban are
\ndirected at a ruthless band of murderers.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has been the largest donor of aid to the Afghan
\npeople, and we will stand by them through this winter and help
\nthem to rebuild their country.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 11, however, we realized how inadequate our response
\nhad been. Now is the time to organize for the future. Many of our
\nrespected international organizations have pointed the way. The
\nUnited Nations issued Security Council Resolutions 1,368 and
\n1,373, condemning the attacks of Sept. 11, and reaffirming the
\ninternational community's commitment to work together to
\neliminate the threat of terrorism.<\/p>\n
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
\ngathered for the Seventh ASEAN Summit in Brunei, and released a
\nstatement on Nov. 5 also condemning terrorism, and pledging
\ninternational cooperation to eliminate it.<\/p>\n
Individual nations have contributed in many ways to the
\ncampaign against terrorism in Afghanistan and around the world.
\nWith the wide range of participation by many nations, some with
\nsignificant Muslim populations, this is clearly not a war against
\nIslam, but rather, a war against enemies of civil society and
\nhuman progress.<\/p>\n
I believe there's an old Indonesian proverb that goes
\nsomething like, "Devoting oneself to the nation protects the
\nnation, devoting oneself to the community protects the
\ncommunity." By devoting ourselves -- to our nations, and to our
\nregion -- against the threat of international terrorism, we will
\nclearly be protecting our people against a threat that knows no
\nborder.<\/p>\n
Today, al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Abu Sayyaf in the
\nPhilippines are on the defensive and on the run. Our security
\nforces need to keep up the pressure to ensure that they can never
\nreach a sanctuary to rebuild their networks and plan future
\nattacks. Even so, defeating these organizations will not end
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
We also need to promote just and accountable societies, which
\nprovide prosperity and security to our citizens, to prevent
\nterrorism from developing and flourishing.<\/p>\n
The efforts to enhance regional security cooperation among
\nregional armed forces have laid the foundation for effective
\noperations in coalitions. We now need to apply these to combating
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
The campaign will involve several efforts:<\/p>\n
Many nations have offered to participate in a Malacca Strait
\npatrol to ensure that terrorists cannot attack shipping there.
\nThis patrol in international waters should be coordinated with
\nthe safety patrols of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.<\/p>\n
The U.S. is increasing efforts to help the Philippines defeat
\nthe Abu Sayyaf group.And I have met with many Asia-Pacific
\nleaders to discuss measures that will increase the capabilities
\nof each of our armed forces and security services to deal with
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
The principal missions of military and police forces are to
\ndefend their territory and maintain national sovereignty and
\ninternal security. Military forces capable of defending their
\nterritory's limit the temptations of others to resolve disputes
\nby forces and provide incentives for diplomatic solutions.<\/p>\n
In your country, I see a growing awareness that force alone is
\ninsufficient to quell insurgency without political accommodation,
\nrespect for human rights, and local economic development.<\/p>\n
Heavy-handed military tactics against insurgencies not only
\ncreate international censure, but also are counterproductive --
\nthey build local domestic resentment against soldiers, increase
\nsupport for insurgency and terrorism, and undermine public trust
\nin the efficiency and skill of the nation's armed forces.<\/p>\n
Over recent decades, the role of coercion in governance has
\nbecome outmoded. Power has shifted rightly from military to
\npolitical authorities. When I think back 20 years to the roles of
\ngenerals in the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and other
\nnations, including Indonesia, the trend is striking.<\/p>\n
Military forces today play a smaller role in politics, but are
\nno less important to the welfare and security of their nations.<\/p>\n
The regional and global trend is toward smaller armed forces
\nthat are better paid, better equipped, and better led by
\nprofessional non-commissioned officers. Armed forces throughout
\nthe region are giving up commercial activities that make them
\nmore susceptible to corruption in the ranks and less responsive
\nto government authority.<\/p>\n
I strongly support efforts to increase transparency and public
\naccountability of military spending towards the long-term goal of
\nfunding the military through the national budget. Properly funded
\nand well-trained armed forces will enhance both regional security
\nand national prosperity.<\/p>\n
The U.S. is ready to work with our Indonesian friends and with
\nall our friends in the region to achieve this common goal. The
\nPacific Command is ready to work with the TNI now in multilateral
\nmissions -- such as the campaign against terrorism, peacekeeping
\nexercises, and mutual support. We are ready to resume the full
\nrange of bilateral cooperation, when the military reforms which
\nthe TNI is undertaking reach maturity.<\/p>\n
The above is an abridged version of the writer's address at
\nthe National Resiliency Institute in Jakarta on Nov. 27.<\/p>",
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