Rabu, 19 Agustus 2015

The Importance of Maintaining a Powerful Indonesian Navy



Indonesian navy corvette KRI Bung Tomo launching an exocet missile

(M Teguh A Nasution) Geography played an important role on shaping a country’s destiny. With the sea dividing the 17 508 islands that makes up Indonesia, it is clear that our nation’s destiny lies on the seas. Past experience had shown that control of the sea is an important factor for maintaining the survival of the rulers of nusantara. The Sumatra based kingdom of Sriwijaya maintained a powerful naval force which allowed the kingdom to control vital trade routes and even mount raids against foreign powers in mainland Asia. For centuries to come, naval power continued to influence the survival of nusantara’s rulers. 


The founding of Indonesia on 17th of August 1945, and its subsequent 4 year struggle against Dutch attempt of reoccupation was also greatly influenced by control of the Sea. The Dutch although had taken a heavy beating during world war two, still had overwhelming naval superiority against the Indonesians. Ships of the Royal Dutch Navy imposed an economic blockade against Indonesia, resulting in scarcity of commodity.


It was not until the 1960s during the Trikora era that Indonesian naval capability posed a threat against the Royal Dutch Navy. During that time, Indonesian naval capability grew exponentially with the introduction of Eastern bloc weaponries which includes submarines, destroyers, maritime strike bombers and a cruiser. These impressive arrays of weaponry were aimed at neutralizing Dutch naval presence around Papua with the main goal of sinking the aircraft carrier Karel Doorman. Faced with a very real possibility of defeat and under pressure from the United States, the Dutch finally gave up control of Papua. 


Even though Indonesia won control of Papua mainly through diplomatic means, the role of the armed forces cannot be discounted. The powerful state of Indonesia’s navy and air force presented enough deterrence effect against the Dutch that eventually forced them to resort to diplomatic actions.


From that case, we can see that military backing plays an important part in diplomacy. The Prussian King Frederick the Great once said, “Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments”. So unless a state has the military means to back their demands during a negotiation, an adversary will not take that negotiation seriously. The state of the Indonesian armed forces during Trikora was powerful enough to back Indonesia’s demands during negotiations. The Dutch knew that if they pursued war, they might not just loose Papua, but also ruin their economy which was still recovering from the ravages of world war two.


Nowadays, the state of Indonesia’s armed forces particularly the navy and air force was not as powerful as it had once been during the Trikora era. These were mainly contributed to the switch on defense priority from external defense into territorial defense during the Suharto era. This had been a trend for some ASEAN countries like Indonesia and Philippines during the cold war where overwhelming American naval superiority in the region served as a protection against external aggression. Condition for the air force and navy was further worsened during the 1998 economic crisis which struck a heavy blow against Indonesia’s economy. Defense spending fell sharply resulting in maintenance difficulties and the inability to procure new equipment. Arms embargo implemented by the United States also serves to further aggravate the situation. Fortunately, Indonesia’s economic recovery for the past few years had made it possible again for the navy and air force to procure new equipment. Under the Minimum Essential Force program, the armed forces sought to modernize its equipment to achieve a minimum ideal force capability to safeguard Indonesia’s sovereignty. In particular, the aim for the navy under this program was to establish a green water navy by 2024. 


As an archipelagic state, it is clear that the core of Indonesia’s armed forces strength should be centered on the navy and air force. Currently the Indonesian navy operates 6 frigates and 10 corvettes as their primary major surface combatant, but only 7 corvettes are considered as new and modern. Although the navy operates many other minor surface combatants like missile boats and fast attack crafts, those ships does not present as much deterrence effect as major surface combatants do. 


The importance of naval deterrence for Indonesia these days is still not lost. Growing tensions in the South China Sea is one case where naval deterrence can serve an important role. Even though China and Indonesia officially did not have any territorial disputes, China’s 9 dash line claim in the South China Sea overlaps with Indonesia’s EEZ near the Natuna Islands. Right now, both countries deny having any territorial disputes, but there is no guarantee that it might not happen in the future. 


A strong naval presence can serve to deter China from pursuing its claims of waters near Natuna Island. What happened to the Philippines in the Spratly Islands was a result of the weak capability of their navy. The Philippine navy had no way to contest China’s claims of the Island chain. So when the Chinese began building artificial islands on the disputed reefs, the best thing the Philippines can do is file a diplomatic protest. Unlike the Philippines, Japan was able to contest China’s claim on the Senkaku Islands. With a powerful navy and coast guard, Japan can afford to directly confront Chinese vessels infringing the waters near the islands.


From that case, we can conclude that a powerful Indonesian Navy is essential to safeguard the country’s sovereignty. In the past, we can see that Indonesia’s powerful navy and air force presented enough deterrence effect against the Dutch that eventually forced them to cede control of Papua through diplomatic means. Nowadays, a strong Indonesian navy can serve to deter foreign powers from infringing on the country’s territory whether by illegal fishing, smuggling, or territorial claims. Through the Minimum Essential Program, it is hoped that by 2024 Indonesia will have a green water navy capable of safeguarding the integrity of the state.  

1 komentar:

  1. the jokowi government is expected to be serious in building indonesia's defense capability due to the fact that the uncertainty of the future threats in south china sea is so huge that we need to get ready for dealing with it at anytime.

    BalasHapus