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)