Udayana Military Commander: Economic Empowerment is Modern National Defence

The Commander of the IX/Udayana Regional Military Command, Major General TNI Piek Budyakto, has stated that community economic empowerment is part of national defence in the modern era. He made the statement while briefing 745 Undergraduate Students of the Indonesian Development Mobilisation Programme (SPPI) for the Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDKMP) and Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih (KNMP) at the Candradimuka Field Class, IX/Udayana Main Regiment, Tabanan Regency, Bali, on Friday. Major General TNI Piek Budyakto stated that the concept of national defence has undergone a transformation and is no longer limited to physical struggle or bearing arms. According to him, national defence is now also determined by food security, maritime sovereignty, and community economic self-reliance at the village and coastal levels. National defence encompasses our real efforts in building economic self-reliance at the village and coastal area levels. “The presence of KDKMP and KNMP is a direct implementation of the constitutional mandate to manage the economy together for the benefit of members, so that our nation has strong resilience and does not depend on detrimental external parties,” he said. The Commander also outlined the importance of integrating national values, nationalism, and strengthening the people’s economy in the IX/Udayana Military Command’s area of operations, which covers Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara. This people’s economic movement has a strong legal foundation, ranging from the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Law Number 3 of 2002 on National Defence, to Presidential Instruction Number 9 of 2025 on the Acceleration of the Development of the Koperasi Merah Putih. He urged all SPPI students to implement the values of the Four Pillars of Nationality in managing cooperatives by strengthening unity, social justice, adherence to the constitution, maintaining the territorial integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and fostering tolerance amidst diversity. In front of the participants, the Commander also reminded them of non-military threats that currently target the younger generation, such as social media misuse, a culture of individualism, anti-government attitudes, radicalism, and intolerance. The KDKMP and KNMP cadres were asked to become agents of change as well as moral bastions within society. As a form of support for the national strategic programme, the IX/Udayana Military Command continues to provide technical assistance, asset security, marketing network development, and strengthens synergy with local governments and the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum in Bali and Nusa Tenggara. As of May 2026, the formation of Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih units in the IX/Udayana Military Command area has reached 100 percent of the target, with details of 38 units in Bali, 55 units in West Nusa Tenggara, and 73 units in East Nusa Tenggara. Specifically for the Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih programme, the Commander instructed that support be directed towards strengthening maritime product sovereignty, establishing fair selling prices for traditional fishermen, and fulfilling national seafood supply needs.