RI military buildup not a threat
RI military buildup not a threat
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia said yesterday that its purchase of
military hardware is part of the military's professional duty to
remain alert and should not constitute a threat to its neighbors.
President Soeharto said Indonesia and its neighbors have been
building a system of regional resilience based on the resilience
of each country.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Air
Force, Soeharto said that Indonesia's purchases are in the
interest of self-defense.
Soeharto maintained that by actively participating in
exchanges and joint exercises "the development of each nation's
defenses is understandable and should not cause concern."
"We would prefer to prevent war by nurturing peace,
understanding and cooperation," he added.
In the past two years Indonesia has been beefing up its Armed
Forces with an assortment of modern, though sometimes
retrofitted, military hardware.
Recent purchases include 24 British-made Hawk-100 and Hawk-200
fighters along with 52 Scorpion tanks retrofitted with new radar
and 105 mm canons.
From Germany, Indonesia has purchased 300 Mercedes trucks and
39 used navy ships.
Indonesia's Army and Air Force have also ordered modern guns
and radar equipment from Britain, France and Germany.
"World history has shown that there has never been total
peace. Even though the threat of a major war seems to have
subsided, we can still witness the advent of limited wars in
various parts of the world," Soeharto said.
"It is part of the military's professional duty to face such
unwanted events. Matters of security and defense, in any
dimension, concern the survival of a country," he added.
In regards to the Air Force, Soeharto said it had the
obligation of protecting Indonesia's skies.
"That is why we shall continue to build the Air Force so it
will become an effective, efficient and modern deterrent," he
said.
F-16s
Indonesia is currently negotiating a deal to purchase at least
nine F-16 Fighting Falcons from the U.S. Top military brass
seemed confident yesterday that the deal would come through,
though no officials would confirm if more than nine of the
offered 28 tactical fighters would be purchased.
"Well, we hope so. Pak Ginandjar is taking care of it," Armed
Forces Commander Feisal Tanjung said referring to Minister of
National Development Planning/Chairman of the National
Development Planning Board Ginandjar Kartasasmita, who is also a
former Air Force officer.
Speaking to journalists after an aerobatics display at Halim
Perdanakusumah airport yesterday, Feisal would not speculate on
plans to buy the jet planes.
"Whether we buy nine or 28 I can't confirm yet," he said.
Indonesia currently has a squadron of 11 F-16s.
Air Force Chief Air Vice Marshall Sutria Tubagus noted that it
is not only the fighters that are important but also spare parts.
He added that the first of the 24 Hawks bought from Britain
should arrive next month and will be assigned to the Air Force
base in Pekanbaru, Riau.
President Soeharto in his address reminded the officers
attending the ceremony that it was not merely the modernization
of equipment which should be focused on but also the human
resources of the Armed Forces.
"The ability to master and utilize the air has already become
a yardstick by which a nation's technological capacity can be
judged," the President said. (mds)