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odernizing the country’s military hardware is an urgent task, especially when Indonesia is already lagging behind other leading countries within the ASEAN neighborhood. The planned purchase of military equipment, which is part of the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) strategy to meet its Minimum Essential Force (MEF) necessity, is imperative while observing Indonesia’s obsolete and small number of war machines.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro was right when he announced the modernization plan on Monday, arguing that the TNI had refrained from procuring major weapons systems throughout the 13 years of reform and in the wake of the military’s internal reforms, which kicked off in 1998.

The modernization program, therefore, should neither spark fear nor be the subject of other countries’ criticism, as the planned purchase of military hardware is mostly meant to simultaneously replace aging and damaged equipment and meet the minimum amount of equipment that the country urgently needs to cover its vast, archipelagic territory, as well as to deal with the increasing global threats of terrorism and potential border and regional conflicts.

While the grand idea of military modernization is reasonable, it is the inventory-taking, selection and decision-making processes on equipment that Indonesia urgently needs that begs further consideration. The government, for instance, needs to reconsider its plan to procure second-hand German-made Leopard 2A6 tanks from the Netherlands or to acquire 24 used F-16 fighter jets from the US and four used C-130H heavy transport aircraft from Australia.

Perhaps the Leopard tanks, the F-16s and the C-130Hs are still in good condition. But we have had bad experiences in the past with the 1991 purchase of 39 ex-East Germany warships, which later turned out to be of waste.

To some extent, the planned purchase of second-hand military equipment will mutually benefit Indonesia and the selling countries. The Netherlands, for example, is abolishing its armored divisions to cut its defense budget due to the economic crisis that is currently hitting Europe, while Indonesia can obtain 100 used Leopard tanks instead of a few dozen new ones.

But there are things that need further consideration before the government eventually decides on the purchase. First, is a question on the after-sales service and the availability of spare parts for second-hand equipment, as some of this will be procured not from respective producing countries, but from using countries.

Second, is a question on efficiency and effectiveness. It is perhaps cheaper to buy or acquire used equipment. But has the government thoroughly calculated the potential amount of money for their maintenance? Common practices have shown that maintenance expenditure for used goods can be more expensive than buying new ones.

Third, is a question on the choice of the equipment to purchase. Both new and used military hardware should be of the latest technology so that it will not be outdated within a few years.

Fourth, is the type of equipment to purchase. Upon reviewing the government’s shopping list, there is more urgent military equipment to procure that is not included in the list.

We have an increased budget for military and defense expenditure compared to previous years. But it does not mean that the final say should neglect the principles of prudence, and most importantly, the appropriateness and usefulness of the military equipment in question.