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or a country whose maritime territory is about four times the size of its land, it has always been a struggle for Indonesia to see water as a bridge that connects rather than a fault line that divides.

With substandard maritime weaponry systems and the absence of any single centralized authority, maritime patrols in the country’s surrounding oceans and inland seas have long been neglected, making the maritime areas hotbeds of criminal activity, from illegal fishing to human trafficking and piracy.

The war against poachers and piracy that the government has been waging for the past two years is just a small part of the problems that the country now faces as a result of decades of underinvestment in securing its waters.

Security for inland waters as well as border areas has been subject to overlapping authority between the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry at different periods in the nation’s history.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has emphasized that maritime security is among the challenges the country faces today.

He said criminals preferred to enter the country via the sea because of challenges Indonesian authorities faced in securing its maritime borders.

“Traffickers will smuggle drugs or humans into the country via the sea because they will be easily detected if they enter the country via roads,” Ryamizard told The Jakarta Post.

The government has recently tried to improve its military infrastructure to enhance maritime security, especially in border areas.

Fresh from tussles with China over poachers in the Natuna waters, a part of Indonesia’s sovereign territory that directly borders the South China Sea, the government has strengthened Ranai Airport on Natuna Island in Riau Islands in order to make the island capable of maintaining goods and military personnel.

The Air Force also expects to expand the nearby Tanjung Pinang Airbase, also in the province, to house jet fighters such as the Sukhoi and the F-16.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, construction of a submarine base is taking place at Palu Bay. Palu Bay directly connects to island waters that border with Malaysia and the Philippines.

To celebrate the TNI’s 71st anniversary, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will visit Natuna Island on Oct. 6 to inaugurate the revamped airport, the second time in the last five months.

Ryamizard, a retired Army general, said the Navy, Army and Air Force must strengthen their coordination to become the backbone of Indonesia’s maritime security.

A joint command of the three forces, known as Kogabwilhan, has been set up to pool the regional resources of the Army, Navy and Air Force to expand joint power projection at border flash points.

“Military operations are never about the Army per se. It is never about the Navy or the Air Force only. Military operations are jointly carried out by the three branches,” he said.

Defense analyst Muradi from the University of Padjajaran in Bandung applauded the government’s plan to secure more parts of the country with combined military power.

Muradi noted that Natuna would be a priority for the Navy and the Air Force because the threats posed to the region would likely come from the air and the sea.

He said further that the situation would be different at other border areas such as Papua. In Papua, protecting Indonesia’s soverei