Navy's elite force to be reorganized

JAKARTA (JP): The Marine Corps, the Navy's special force, will be reorganized to increase its effectiveness in meeting the increasing challenges of naval security operations.

An additional battalion will be established to complement the existing two battalions of landing teams, Navy Chief Vice Admiral Arief Kushariadi said yesterday in Surabaya.

Speaking after inspecting the latest preparations for the 51st commemoration of Navy Day, which falls on Dec. 5, Arief said the additional corps personnel would need more combat weaponry, such as amphibious and artillery tanks.

"Compared to our neighboring countries, the Indonesian Marines have less weaponry. We need therefore to increase its number," he said, reported Antara news agency.

One landing battalion consists of 1,725 personnel.

Earlier last month, Arief said the Marine Corps planned to recruit 3,000 more personnel. The recruits will be selected from Navy personnel across the country.

However, Arief said the limited state budget has forced the Navy to postpone plans for increasing weaponry in the near future.

"The state currently only has 30 percent of the proposed funding for the weaponry procurement," he said. He did not say how much was needed for the new weaponry.

The Navy has 32 warships for security operations in Indonesian waters.

The reorganization of the Marines is part of the giant restructuring efforts in the Indonesian Armed Forces this year.

The Army's Special Force was the first unit in the Armed Forces to undergo reform. In June the force, which has an impressive record of putting down rebellions and of countering insurgency and terrorism, was expanded from three to five groups.

One of the groups will specialize in counter-terrorism. The number of personnel in the force was expanded from 6,000 to 10,000 troopers.

The Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), has recently been expanded. The Kostrad's two divisions have been enlarged and now led by three-star generals. Currently, it has 27,000 troops.

The Police Special Force, the Mobile Brigade, was inaugurated as an autonomous corps in September. Under the status, the corps will get at least 700 new personnel in addition to its current 5,000 members.

The corps will also receive new military equipment. The rank of the commander was also promoted from colonel to brigadier general.(imn)