Kostrad to launch new intelligence battalion

Kostrad to launch new intelligence battalion

By Tiarma Siboro

JAKARTA (JP): With unrest, bomb attacks and separatist
violence affecting various parts of the country in recent times,
many people have condemned the weaknesses of the Indonesian
Military's (TNI) intelligence gathering system.

In the past, the TNI intelligence system was known to be quite
efficient and was so pervasive, particularly during the New Order
era, that it delved into not only security and defense matters,
but also the social, economic, and political arenas.

The Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) has expressed
its concern over the recent regression and the need to have a
strong and powerful intelligence unit for security, not
political, purposes.

Kostrad chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu expressed the dilemma
that he and his force faced by saying that while in many respects
they had been excised from the body politic, nevertheless the
demands for them to be proactive kept increasing.

"The challenge for my troops in maintaining the nation's
security has become more difficult due to the separatist demands
that have been aired among us," he remarked.

In response, Kostrad has set up a special intelligence unit
dubbed the Security Surveillance Battalion (Tontaikam).

The battalion will begin special training on Monday at
Kostrad's newest training camp in the hilly Sangga Buana area of
Karawang, West Java.

"The intelligence capabilities of my combat units must be
improved. But it should be underlined that I only want to create
a professional military combat intelligence unit," Ryamizard
said.

Operational assistant to the Kostrad chief, Col. Bambang
Darmono, told The Jakarta Post that each of the TNI's branches
had their own intelligence units.

"In the Army, there is an intelligence detachment at each
Military Command (provincial) level. There is also, for example,
the Sandi Yudha Group IV in the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus)
and the intelligence platoon attached to Kostrad's airborne
brigade," Bambang said.

Kostrad, which comprises about 22,000 soldiers, already has an
intelligence unit.

But Bambang lamented that enhancing and improving its
capabilities had never been a major priority and that its
personnel had never received additional training.

According to Bambang, in January Kostrad decided to reorganize
and enhance the capabilities of its intelligence unit.

"Through this reorganization, we recruited the Tontaikam
members, with its personnel being drawn from each of Kostrad's
six infantry brigades," Bambang said.

The Kostrad commanders have demanded high standards of would-
be members of the new platoon, including an age limit of between
25 and 35 years of age.

"We are demanding very high requirements from every member,
including a high degree of sensitivity in predicting the weather,
and good capabilities in battle field analysis and enemy strength
estimation," Bambang said.

"We now have six companies of Tontaikam, with each company
consisting of between 41 and 50 men," Bambang said.

The two-and-a-half month training course is being held in
cooperation with the Army's Kopassus.

Five weeks of the course will be under the tutelage of Kostrad
instructors, three weeks under Kopassus's instructors, and one
week will be devoted to improving the trainees' capabilities in
the water.

Bambang noted that one of the most crucial skills which the
battalion members needed to possess was the power of resistance
-- to maintain clarity of thought and analysis despite suffering
from extreme exhaustion, whether mental or physical, and at times
of intense pressure.

The training course includes a daily 25-kilometer race over
the hills and through rivers.

"While undergoing the course, we will suddenly intervene and
make them take psychological tests which they will have to pass
with satisfactory results," Bambang explained.

Bambang said that in the future the platoon would be the first
reconnaissance unit sent into a combat zone to collect
information on the enemy's strength.

He further revealed that apart from honing their marksmanship
using standard SS-1 Army rifles, Tontaikam personnel will also be
taught to use the German-produced MP-5 handgun.

While the handgun is not standard issue in the Indonesian
Army, Bambang said such training would be necessary as "most of
the elite forces in the world use this gun."

Kostrad has allocated about Rp 250 million (US$25,000) for the
training course.