Navy to buy two submarines

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is planning to purchase two submarines within the next ten years as part of a US$1.95-billion defense project for the country's impoverished Navy, an official says.

Director General for Defense Strength in the Ministry of Defense Rear Marshal Lambertus Siloy told House of Representatives Commission I for defense that each submarine would cost about US$220 million.

"The first submarine will be purchased in 2005 and the second in 2009," Siloy said.

Currently, Indonesia's Navy has only 117 ships, including two submarines and 44 warships.

Lambertus revealed that the Navy would also purchase four guided-missile destroyers at a cost of about $145 million each. The warships would be purchased in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2013.

The Navy will also purchase two minesweepers in 2007 and 2011.

"Each warship will cost $75 million," he said, adding that the Navy would also purchase French-made Exocet missiles at a cost of $140 million.

Siloy, however, did not reveal from where the country would purchase the military equipment.

Indonesia's traditional arms suppliers, notably the U.S. and its ally the UK, have imposed a military embargo on the sale of new military equipment and spare parts to the country due to its failure to stop a bloody rampage by pro-Jakarta militias in East Timor in 1999.

The embargo, which has forced the Indonesian Military (TNI) to ground many of its warplanes and warships, prompted the country to turn to Russia for new military equipment.

Indonesia recently took delivery of two Sukhoi-27 and two Sukhoi-30 warplanes, as well as two Mi-35 assault helicopters it bought under a $192.6-million countertrade deal signed with Russia in April this year.

Defense ministry director for defense system planning Rear Marshal Mas Wijaya, meanwhile, said the condition of the Navy's defense equipment had been deteriorating in recent years.

"We are now repairing the submarine KRI Cakra under an export credit facility from Korea," Wijaya told the hearing.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the defense ministry Rear Marshal Suprihadi said most of TNI's military equipment was between 20 years old and 40 years old.

Therefore, he said, TNI had allocated Rp 3.6 trillion ($423 million) in the 2004 budget for the purchase of military spare parts and equipment.

Legislators RK Sembiring Meliala and A.M. Luthfi, respectively from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Reform factions, said that the poor state of the Navy was not a new story.

"We knew it and we know one submarine costs that much money. That's why we can only repair old submarines," Sembiring told The Jakarta Post.

During the hearing, the ministry's secretariat and the House defense commission agreed to separate the military's routine budget from its development budget.

The routine budget consists of state expenditure for the salaries of personnel, while the development budget is used, among others things, to purchase military equipment.

The move was taken to avoid creating the impression that defense expenditure was too high.

Navy Fleet

2 submarines

14 warships

57 patrol boats

44 support vessels