Indonesian fleet in somewhat sorry state

Indonesian fleet in somewhat sorry state

Although Indonesia maintains the biggest navy in Southeast Asia
its fleet is not in good repair.

It can put to sea but its combat abilities are questionable.

On Dec. 8 there will be an exercise involving 40 warships from
Surabaya moving through the Straits of Makassar to seas near the
Ambalat region.

This oil and gas-rich area was the site of a territorial
dispute with Malaysia earlier this year

In Surabaya's Tanjung Perak naval port, rows of old East
German warships can be seen looking distinctly distressed. These
also have a fascinating past that doesn't appear in the official
histories; they're the remnants of a famous deal done in the
early 1990s by B.J. Habibie, then minister of research and
technology.

Criticism of the purchase by some journalists led to the
banning of two news magazines. This focused international
attention on press freedom in Indonesia and highlighted other
aspects of the authoritarian regime.

Earlier this year, Admiral Bernard Kent Sondakh was reported
as saying, "the Navy's vessels are almost obsolete and some are
second-hand." He said the Navy had fewer than 130 patrol craft.

The cost of bringing the Navy up to strength where it can
really defend the archipelago's extensive sea-lanes would be
around US$ 2.7 trillion, according to some military sources. The
most pressing need is for fast patrol boats.

The Navy currently has two German-built submarines that have
been in service since the 1980s.

The purchase of four new submarines from South Korea has
already been announced. These will cost US$ 270 million each and
are expected to be delivered in 2008.

Neighboring Singapore has four submarines, all from Sweden.
Malaysia has ordered three subs from France to establish its
first underwater fleet. (Duncan Graham)