Defence Minister urges Seskoau students to broaden horizons and boost loyalty

Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has urged all Indonesian Air Force officers to strengthen their loyalty and enhance their discipline in learning in order to adapt to the changing times. He made the statement while providing instruction to Officer Students of the Air Force Command and Staff College (Seskoau) 64th Cohort, Academic Year 2026, at the Seskoau campus in Lembang, Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday. Sjafrie, in an official Defence Ministry press release, stated that future defence challenges threatening the country will become increasingly complex. He noted that individual capability and the sophistication of the primary weapons systems (alutsista) alone are insufficient to strengthen the nation’s defence against physical and non-physical attacks. According to him, the key to playing a role in strengthening national defence is possessing a high spirit of nationalism and a broad perspective. “The strength of national defence is not solely determined by weaponry and technology, but also by the quality of human resources who are disciplined, loyal, and capable of strategic thinking to realise a robust and modern national defence,” Sjafrie was quoted as saying in the press release. Through a high spirit of nationalism and loyalty, officers will be driven to continuously learn about all matters in order to create well-developed strategies for safeguarding national defence. Sjafrie added that Seskoau serves as an ideal platform for Air Force officers to develop themselves into high-quality individuals. He expressed hope that this motivational address would ignite the students’ enthusiasm to keep learning and innovating to advance the Indonesian National Armed Forces in strengthening the country.