Army's strength still below ideal, Gen. Feisal says
Army's strength still below ideal, Gen. Feisal says
JAKARTA (JP): The strength of the Indonesian Army is still below an ideal level, given its immense task to defend the nation and maintain security and order in the huge archipelago, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung said yesterday.
"The army's force has not reached the required standard level if compared to the large size of territory, population and state assets that have to be protected," Feisal said during a ceremony to mark the transfer of duty of the army chief of staff from Gen. Wismoyo Arismunandar to Gen. R. Hartono.
"Its current strength is only sufficient to fulfill the real needs of the army, be they in personnel, procurement of new weapons, and other supporting facilities," he said at the military ceremony at the army headquarters on Jl. Merdeka Utara.
Feisal underlined that the chief task of the army is to maintain the sovereignty over all the land territory of the country.
Besides this the army is also called on to help develop all the potentials of the country, to strengthen national defense and to play an active role in socio-political affairs.
Gen. Hartono, who was ABRI's chief of socio-political affairs, formally took over command of the country's 300,000 strong army yesterday. He became the 18th army chief of staff since it was founded nearly 50 years ago.
Some of his predecessors turned up for the ceremony, which saw the rare appearance of Gen. (ret.) Abdul Haris Nasution, the second army chief of staff and Indonesia's oldest living senior military officer. Nasution was chief of staff in 1948-1949 and again in 1955-1962.
Other former chiefs of staff present include M.A. Panggabean (1967-1969), Makmun Murod (1974-1978), Poniman ((1980-1983), Rudini (1983-1986), and Edi Sudrajat (1988-1993), now minister of defense and security. L.B. Moerdani, the former ABRI chief and defense minister, was also present.
The transfer of duty followed the swearing in of Hartono as chief of staff by President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Saturday.
Hartono, whose rank was promoted to full four-star general on Feb.1, will turn the mandatory retirement age of 55 in June next year. It is still anyone's guess whether his term of service will be extended beyond that. What is certain is that Wismoyo's active duty had not been extended as he turned 55 last Friday.
Feisal described that the transfer of duty in the army has always been a historical landmark because it reflects continuity in the way the army is managed.
He said to answer to the challenge facing the army given its present size and strength, troops should strive to increase their professionalism by glorifying in the current "moral movement to return to the basics of soldiers."
The "back to basics" concept had been initiated during Wismoyo's term and is expected to be continued by his predecessor.
Feisal said the army must restructure its centers of education and training so that officers and troopers are always ready to carry out their tasks in defense and in politics.
The ABRI chief praised Wismoyo for leaving a positive mark in the army through his leadership and urged Hartono to continue on the tasks that had been initiated by Wismoyo.
After the ceremony, Hartono, who was mobbed by reporters, said that one of his most immediate task is to form a Military Honorary Council to follow up on the current investigation of the killings of six East Timorese by troopers last month.
Hartono said he would discuss the matter with Feisal, who issued the order last week.
On another issue, Hartono said he would also continue with the program to set up infantry brigades at every regional military command, something which was started during Wismoyo's leadership.
He said he was involved in preparing the concept for the establishments of these infantry brigades when he was governor of the National Resilience Institute two years ago.
The brigades were eliminated during streamlining of the ABRI in 1985 by then ABRI chief Gen. L.B. Moerdani because they were considered inefficient, specially from the cost point of view.
Wismoyo, in reestablishing the brigades, said they were essential and vital to the operation of the regional military commands. (rms)