In a bid to improve the country'€™s obsolete weapons system, the government has previously implemented a plan to follow the military'€™s MEF blueprint for achieving an independent defense industry by 2024.

Speaking during a meeting with the Defense Industry Policy Committee (KKIP) on Tuesday at the Presidential Office, Jokowi pointed out four main priorities for the country's defense policy, including efforts to develop the military as a well-respected force; to meet the needs of the country's defense, both in terms of soldiers' welfare and the supply of defense equipment; to reach defense self-reliance; and to make defense policy part of a comprehensive approach to security.

The President said Indonesia should no longer depend on imports of defense equipment, and later laid out several "simultaneous approaches" that the country could use to meet defense self-reliance.

"First, the transfer of technology, in which we expect later to require every weapons purchase to include transfer of technology for our strategic industries, whether it is PT PAL Indonesia [state-owned shipbuilder], PT Pindad [state-owned weapons and land-systems maker] and PT DI [state-owned aircraft maker Dirgantara Indonesia]," Jokowi said.

According to the former Jakarta governor, the country should also stop its habit of buying weapons without making efforts to boost domestic weapons production, and must focus on building integrated defense equipment systems. (nfo)

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