Last of Indonesia's Four New Navy Warships Due

The fourth modern corvette warship ordered by the military from
a Dutch shipyard is expected to arrive in Indonesia next month.

In 2004, the Indonesian Navy ordered four SIGMA-class corvettes
worth about 700 million euros ($892 million). The first three
arrived in the country last year. The primary mission of the
vessels is coastal defense, search and patrolling.

SIGMA, an acronym for Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity
Approach, has a modular design that gives it flexibility at a
reduced cost.

All of Indonesia’s SIGMA-class corvettes were equipped with
sensors and arms systems, such as the 76-millimeter
multifunction cannon as well as anti-submarine torpedoes.

A government plan for Indonesia to build corvettes
domestically would be in the 2009-2014 Defense Ministry
strategic plan.

It had earlier been part of a 2004-2009 Strategic Plan, but
Sjafrie said that the government’s tight budget situation meant
that option was no longer viable.

The Navy is poorly equipped, underfunded and heavily in debt to
state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.

Under the strategic plan, local defense industries are to
receive financial support from the government to build the
ships. He said the government would also take a role in
promoting cooperation with shipyards abroad to facilitate the
transfer of technology to Indonesia.

Indonesia has been trying to diversify its sources of weaponry
and military equipment since the US Congress introduced an
embargo after the violence surrounding East Timor’s 1999
self-determination ballot. The US Congress said the Indonesian
military played a role in escalating the violence. The embargo
was lifted in late 2005.

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Indonesian President to inaugurate Indonesia’s first defense university

President to inaugurate Indonesia’s first defense university

The Jakarta Post

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to inaugurate
the Defense University of Indonesia, the first of its kind in
the country, on March 11, 2009.

Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said in Jakarta on Thursday
the idea to establish the university was first raised by the
defense ministry in January 2007 to meet the urgent need to
improve the state's strategic defense capability.

"The institute will transform Indonesia's military and defense
education with the long-term objective of developing a modern
TNI (Indonesian Defense Forces) military culture," the minister
said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Changes of national, regional and global scopes had created new
challenges to the country's strategic defense capability, he
said.

Citing an example, Sudarsono said Indonesian territorial waters
which were being used as maritime routes for 40 percent of the
world's trade, needed more than security measures in the
traditional sense. They needed a TNI capable of making more
modern political, economic, social and cultural approaches, he
said.

Therefore, Indonesia was now trying to meet that need by
establishing an education institute capable of producing leaders
with military and civilian backgrounds who had strategic defense
capabilities and competence as well as wide perspectives and the
ability to adapt to global conditions, he said.

Meanwhile, Major General Syarifuddin Tippe, the defense
ministry's director general of defense strategy, said 47 other
countries already had a defense university.

In ASEAN, Singapore had established a defense university in 2005
and Malaysia in 2007.

"In the current era, there is a need for thinkers among military
officers, who not only have combat or military operation skills
but also have perspectives and master scientific disciplines
needed to comprehend the security environment and the rapidly
changing world," he said.

The inauguration of Indonesia's Defense University would also be
marked by a seminar themed "Indonesia 2025: Geopolitical and
Defense Challenges" to be attended also by world-class defense
strategy experts.

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