Indonesia's fragile defense

Indonesia's fragile defense

From Koran Tempo

The Indonesia-Malaysia border dispute over the Ambalat oil
block off East Kalimantan should be given serious attention, but
it is not enough for the nation to only mobilize militia
volunteers against Malaysia.

We should honestly acknowledge the fact that the country's
Navy and Air Force capacity is behind that of Malaysia. The
recent tsunami disaster in Aceh showed the limitations of both
forces in carrying out rescue operations. We needed the aid of
helicopters from the U.S., Singapore and other nations to reach
tsunami victims.

Indonesian warships, for instance, according to former Navy
chief of staff Bernard Kent Sondakh, required some four days to
sail from the Jakarta port of Tanjung Priok to the coast of Banda
Aceh. Only about six of the 38 Hercules aircraft can fly due to
the U.S. arms embargo, while the new Sukhois from Russia are not
yet armed.

It is not surprising that Malaysia has been bold enough to
launch various air and sea maneuvers in Indonesian waters. The
New Order regime is to blame for marginalizing the country's air
and sea defense forces while focusing only on the Army. In fact,
most modern concepts of land combat require a combination of
modern air and sea war machines to provide crucial support.

However, there is still hope for the nation. As the tsunami
disaster has indicated, Indonesians are actually ready to
sacrifice for the victims in Aceh. So, why don't we raise funds
to enhance our national defense? This will happen after the
eradication of graft practices in arms purchasing, which hampers
public support for arms procurement.

EKO SUPRIYANTO
Jakarta