Shopping for hardware

News that Indonesia is seriously considering buying military hardware, in particular jet fighters, from Russia has been a subject of considerable discussion in the past few days. This is partly due to the fact that just a few weeks ago Indonesia canceled a deal to buy nine F-16 aircraft from the United States. The decision followed on the heels of allegations made in the U.S. Senate of human rights abuses in Indonesia.

It may also be partly due to the fact that since the mid 1960s -- during the final months of the left-leaning Old Order regime -- that this country did its shopping for military hardware in Russia. In this way, Indonesia's present turning toward Russia for its military needs could seem as though history were, more or less, repeating itself.

But when one considers the country's long-term strategic interests, it is not difficult to understand that Indonesia's decision is a perfectly sound and rational one; no self- respecting country would -- if conditions permit -- allow itself to become dependent on only one supplier.

It is perhaps because of such considerations that many countries prefer to acquire their military equipment from different sources. For instance, the Malaysian air force, besides having several Hawk fighters, has 16 Russian-made MiG-29 and two MiG-9U aircraft. A similar policy of military diversification is pursued by other countries.

Obtaining military hardware from one source can, of course, have its advantages. It may, for example, be advantageous for Indonesia to maintain American F-16 aircraft rather than Russian MiGs or French-built Mirage fighters. The reason is that Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand also have this aircraft. Servicing could therefore be pooled, reducing maintenance costs.

In the present case, the main disadvantage of buying Russian MiGs is that pilots and technicians would probably need retraining to fly and maintain the new aircraft. Also, new training facilities might have to be set up. Our military leaders and technocrats would then have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of hardware diversification, and decide which equipment to purchase.

Obviously, it was for the purpose of exploring possibilities that a team of senior officials from various government agencies visited Moscow last month. As the State Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita told reporters in Jakarta last week, Indonesia wanted to buy weapons from Russia as part of its effort to further diversify its sources and maintain independence.

The Russian-made air defense equipment Jakarta is reportedly considering includes radars, guided missiles and jet fighters. As reported, the team concluded that the Russian equipment was suitable for Indonesia, though further assessments are yet to be made by Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie.

Considering all this, there is no reason to doubt that whatever equipment the government decides to buy, and from whatever source, the choice will be to the country's best advantage -- militarily, politically as well as economically.