Indonesia set to strengthen Naval forces

In his opening remarks at the exhibition on Wednesday, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu pledged to spur the development and boost the production of naval weapons by national defense firms in an effort to realize Jokowi’s vision of maritime power. 

Ryamizard said his ministry was committed to advancing the country’s defense industry by promoting cooperation between local and overseas defense firms. He said this would eventually lead to the transfer of knowledge and experience needed for local defense companies to produce state-of-the-art armaments for the TNI independently. 

In a bid to improve the country’s obsolete weapons system, the government previously implemented a plan for following the military’s Minimum Essential Force (MEF) blueprint for achieving an independent defense industry by 2024. 

Jokowi did not elaborate on what kinds of weapons the country would obtain, but said that they could be produced via existing cooperation between Indonesia and countries like South Korea.

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