Ministry of Defence supports munitions factory construction on Indonesia's major islands

The Ministry of Defence (Kemhan) supports the plan to build PT Pindad munitions factories on every major island in Indonesia. “Going forward, PT Pindad’s munitions production facilities are also planned to be built on other major islands so that defence logistics support is not concentrated in just one region,” said Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defence Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defence Secretariat General, in a statement in Jakarta on Monday. Rico said this step is being taken so that these factories can produce and rapidly dispatch munitions logistics to every unit in the regions. Thus, the existence of these factories directly supports the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in defending Indonesia’s sovereignty across various regions. Apart from the defence aspect, the construction of these munitions facilities will also impact the strengthening of PT Pindad’s self-reliance as a domestic defence industry. With this opportunity, PT Pindad, which is also a State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN), can maximise its role as the main munitions producer for the TNI. “Strategically, this development aims to strengthen national munitions production capacity and reduce dependence on foreign supplies,” Rico said. To date, he continued, the munitions factory has been built in several areas, including in South Papua and most recently in Batulicin, South Kalimantan. Rico said that for the construction of the munitions factory in Batulicin, PT Pindad will utilise a land area of approximately 30 hectares. “The selection of Batulicin certainly went through various technical and strategic considerations, including land availability, regional access, potential infrastructure support, and South Kalimantan’s strategic position in supporting the distribution and strengthening of the national defence industry,” he stated. With this development, Rico is confident that the domestic defence industry will become stronger and capable of supporting the strengthening of Indonesia’s defence.