The use of
unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as 'drones,' has become popular in
recent times. (Reuters Photo)
The use of
unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as "drones," has
become popular in recent times. Drones are increasingly being used by
armed forces due to the rise of asymmetric warfare in modern combat.
Nowadays, the revolution in defense technology has created weapons that are
more sophisticated and automated, or unmanned.
Responding to the global development of
weapons technology, especially in view of President Joko "Jokowi"
Widodo's vision of a global maritime axis, the Indonesian Military (TNI) must
have drones at its disposal.
In the implementation of maritime policy, drones
are the most effective means to conduct surveillance in the vast Indonesian
waters. Jokowi has an ambition to make Indonesia strong again at sea, such as
during Bung Karno's era, or even to the likes of the ancient Majapahit and
Srivijaya kingdoms, whose maritime fleets were well known in the region.
In modern times, drones would be a
favorable choice for Indonesia, because they can be used to strengthen the
country's bargaining position internationally. In his inaugural speech two
years ago, the president uttered the slogan "Jalesveva Jayamahe,"
which means "on the sea we are victorious." It shows that Jokowi's
policy will be aimed towards maritime issues.
Some classic studies of sea power and
politics show that the world powers largely gained their strength through
control of the seas. Vicissitude in world leadership is also associated with a
shifting of power distribution in the sea. This is what Jokowi is after; a
change of global political constellation, in order to compete and beat major
maritime powers such as the United States and China. History has proven that we
were able to do that, so why not repeat it?
Rise of Warfare Technology
The revolution in military affairs is no
longer limited to alteration in a war paradigm, from man only to man and
machine, but also be unmanned machine. The use of drones marks the world's
entry into what the writer called, "robot civilization." We often see
it in Hollywood movies, such as Terminator, Oblivion and Star Trek. We need to
know as well that drones in this context are not just referring to surveillance
drones, but also armed drones. Whoever controls this technology can change the
international system, as the regulation has not yet been determined.
It is difficult to know how many states
already use drone technology due to its confidential nature, especially armed
drones. Several countries believed to have armed drones refuse to disclose
information for national security reasons. Although, some vividly exhibit their
drone capability in combating terrorism, or mostly just for prestige. Until
now, only the United States, Israel and Britain have been using armed drones
overtly in their engagements.
According to data from US-based aerospace
and defense company the Teal Group, in addition to Israel and the United
States, China and Iran are countries that already have the ability to launch
armed drones. Furthermore, two nuclear countries – India and Pakistan – have
also begun to develop their drone technology to deal with terrorist threats on
home soil.
Meanwhile, Australia, Japan and Singapore,
which are our neighboring countries, already have unarmed surveillance drones,
which could also be used for military purposes. For example, Japan uses it to
keep tabs on China's movements around the disputed Senkaku Islands. In terms
security and defense, a country's possession of drones could trigger suspicions
from other countries, especially neighboring ones. Based on the principle of a
security dilemma, a country would feel threatened if other countries improve their
military capabilities.
From an optimistic perspective, if
Indonesia has the technological capabilities to obtain and operate drones,
especially armed ones, we can imagine how uneasy Singapore, Malaysia and
Australia would be. Indonesia would be a dominant force in the region. The
balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region, especially within Southeast Asia,
would be different with our maritime superiority. Even though it might lead to
military conflict, the balance of power in the region will be preserved. No
countries would have the audacity to start a fight and risk total war.
However, from a rather pessimistic point
of view, the use of drones is more complicated than it appears. Drones are not
just small unmanned aircraft. Modern drones require more than just a
"pilot" who controls it remotely. The use of drones involves
sophisticated communications technology, complete satellite access, complex
machinery systems and accurate data. Not every country has these abilities.
Countries that have mastered drone
technology are those who already have state-of-the-art military technology,
such as nuclear weapons and communications satellites.
Therefore, it is obvious that when the
United States, Israel and Britain decided to develop this technology for their
national interests, they already had the necessary supporting components. Using
drones are not just a retail purchase, especially if you want to use it for
security and defense. Indonesia's defense industry is still not able to support
the use of this powerful tool, especially on a limited defense budget.
The paradigm of the Indonesian defense
industry unfortunately is still pragmatic. We prefer to purchase weapons
systems, or alutsista, from other countries instead of self-producing
it, such as the procurement of Sukhoi fighter jets and Leopard main battle
tanks.
Former President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono's regime brought a significant increase in the Indonesian defense
budget, from Rp 21 trillion ($1.6 billion) in 2004, up to Rp 104 trillion next
year, according to the 2017 draft state budget. However, if Jokowi wishes to
develop drone technology, our defense budget must increase to at least half of
the current US defense budget, which was around $601 billion last year. We
have a long way to go.
The president should also remember that
the use of drones is merely to maintain a nation's sovereignty, especially in
the maritime sector, and that it will not be used to apply the concept of
absolute security, as implemented by the United States in its war against
terror. Indonesia is a peaceful country that will preserve its free and active
foreign policy doctrine, with the use of force only when necessary. That's why
we need the drones!
Jerry Indrawan is a lecturer in
international relations at Paramadina University.
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