Analyst: Procurement of Defence Equipment Must Be Comprehensive
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Defence expert and Deputy Chairman of the National Private Defence Industry Association, retired Major General TNI Jan Pieter Ate, believes that the procurement of main weapon system equipment (alutsista) must be carried out comprehensively to facilitate long-term operation.
Jan Pieter expressed this view during a discussion titled “Ngopi De’Talkshow: Supporting the Operational Readiness of Alutsista,” as quoted from an official press release received in Jakarta on Friday.
According to Jan Pieter, partial or incomplete procurement will hinder users because the alutsista will be difficult to operate in the long term.
“So, operational readiness means having the platform, the weapons, the logistics support, the crew, the training centre—all within one system,” said Jan Pieter.
Therefore, the government must allocate sufficient budget to purchase alutsista completely, without waiting for the main platform to arrive and then equipping it gradually.
In addition, Jan Pieter assessed that the alutsista purchased by the Ministry of Defence (Kemhan) must align with the needs of the TNI as the operating entity.
The procurement of alutsista, according to him, should not be based solely on budget availability and other unrelated factors to the TNI’s needs.
He continued that one effort to ensure targeted alutsista procurement is to build good communication and coordination between Kemhan and TNI.
“Communication between Kemhan as the authority holder in policy and budget availability with the TNI as the one with the needs is already underway,” said Jan Pieter.
Jan Pieter hopes that communication between the two institutions continues smoothly to prevent misinformation between the TNI’s alutsista needs and the purchases made by Kemhan.
This year, the TNI has received many alutsista. Some that have caught public attention include the arrival of two Boeing-manufactured A400M transport aircraft. Additionally, the TNI AU has begun receiving Rafale fighter jets gradually starting this year.
From the naval branch, the TNI AL has received two warships, namely KRI Prabu Siliwangi and KRI Brawijaya, made in Italy, and one sea detection vessel, KRI Canopus, made in Germany.
The nearest arrival is Indonesia’s first aircraft carrier, Giuseppe Garibaldi, which is reported to arrive before the TNI’s anniversary this year.