A

sia-Pacific nations called for increased maritime capabilities to maintain regional stability at the fourth Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD) on Thursday.

At the fourth dialogue session, themed '€œModernizing and Stabilizing Maritime Forces'€, Indonesian Navy chief of staff Admiral Marsetio said that there had been concerns over whether maritime modernization would lead to a naval arms race in Southeast Asia.

'€œMaritime security is of interest to all countries in the region,'€ he told the panel.

Marsetio also said that Indonesia'€™s marine forces were currently undergoing modernization, which involved building up Indonesia'€™s hard power. This includes procuring new weapons systems and developing infrastructure.

Indonesia recently procured new hardware, including four Diponegoro-class SIGMA corvettes, four Makassar-class landing platform docks (LPDs), four 40-meter Clurit-class fast missile boats (KCR-40s) and two 43-meter fast patrol boats (PC-43).

Marsetio denied that the modernization of the Indonesian Navy was aimed at increasing offensive power. He added that Indonesia had realized that it needed to increase its maritime capabilities and multilateral ties within the region in the face of many non-traditional threats.

'€œThere is not one country that wants to go to war. If we love peace, then we must be prepared to go to war,'€ he told The Jakarta Post.

Indonesia currently carries out regular joint patrols with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia in the Malacca Straits. Indonesia will also host the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2014 from March 28 until April 5, which will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

'€œWe have invited all ASEAN member states and eight other countries, namely the US, South Korea, Australia, Russia, China, India, New Zealand and Japan, to attend,'€ Marsetio said, adding that he hoped activities would decrease the potential of a security dilemma.

However, Marsetio acknowledged that there were still doubts over other nations'€™ maritime activities, further emphasizing the need for transparency and communication.

During the session, Rear Admiral Samuel Perez Jr. of the US Department of State'€™s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said that he believed the US Navy'€™s modernization efforts to boost capabilities and develop more collaborative partnerships had also alleviated traditional conflicts in the region.

One example he cited was the territorial dispute in the South China Sea (SCS).

The ongoing SCS dispute has been a cause for concern for several nations in the Asia-Pacific region. The dispute involves China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. The US, which is now casting its eyes on Asia, has also joined the fray to counter China'€™s power by asking Beijing to clarify its '€œnine-dash line'€, which outlines its claims in the SCS.

'€œThe opportunity to decrease tensions and increase trust is never more open than today,'€ he said.

He added that by procuring more partnerships, nations could build common strategies that involved the freedom of navigation, especially in contested waters. (fss)