Air Force moves into Cilangkap headquarters

Air Force moves into Cilangkap headquarters

JAKARTA (JP): The Air Force yesterday moved its headquarters
to the huge Cilangkap military complex in East Jakarta, a move
which President Soeharto hopes will further strengthen the unity
of the Armed Forces.

Soeharto, who is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces
(ABRI), presided at the inauguration of the new headquarters.

The Air Force became the second service after the Navy to move
into the complex, which is widely seen as the Indonesian version
of the Pentagon. The Army and the National Police are expected to
follow suit in moving their headquarters there in the future.

Soeharto said that bringing the three forces and the police
under one roof is expected to reflect a more unified ABRI image.

He recalled the time when various political forces tried to
extend their sphere of influence into ABRI's branches. There was
also a time when they tried to set one service against another.

"We're grateful that those dark periods are far behind us.
They're history. We erased those dark days because ABRI has
remained loyal to its Seven Oath ... (and) because ABRI has been
resolved in strengthening the integration of its various forces."

The military's various branches were split during the
political turmoil that followed the abortive coup attempt blamed
on the Indonesian Communist Party in September 1965.

With the move to Cilangkap, the Air Force is expected to show
that it is an inseparable part of ABRI, Soeharto said.

He emphasized the need for Indonesia to build a strong
military force that matches the forces of other countries.

"This is a real need," he said. "The state's sovereignty,
nation's honor and territorial integrity cannot be entrusted to
other people. We ourselves should hold the honor, right and
responsibility to uphold them.

"The development of ABRI's power is not to be used against
other parties. It is solely for the purpose of protecting the
state sovereignty, nation's honor and territorial integrity."

Turning to the Air Force, he said Indonesia is resolved to
build a service that is not only capable of defending the
nation's airspace but also one that is effective and respected.

The Air Force is currently in the process of buying 24 Hawk
100 fighters from Britain to strengthen its squadron of fighter
fleets that already consist of the prized U.S. built F-16s. The
first delivery of the Hawk fighters will be in April next year.

The new Air Force headquarters was built by Rajawali Nusantara
Indonesia, a state-owned contractor, under a deal that includes
leasing out the site of the former headquarters in the
commercially strategic Pancoran intersection in South Jakarta.

Rajawali took over the project in late 1993 from PT
Swadayatama Tigamas of Wirontono Group which failed to perform in
accordance to the terms of its contract.

In return for the 30-year lease for the site of the former
headquarters, Rajawali paid Rp 144 billion to the Air Force and
built the six buildings and the housing facilities in the new
headquarters in Cilangkap. The contractor is reportedly planning
to build a luxury shopping center at the Pancoran site.

While stressing that the other services should also move their
headquarters to Cilangkap, Soeharto said the move should be made
in accordance with the military's budgetary capability. (emb)