“We expect the revised law to support our interest in creating security with sophisticated weaponry systems and that regulations will not be an obstacle for defense development,” NASPCI coordinator Air Vice Marshal Usra Hendra Harahap said after a focus group discussion on the role of the defense industry to support weaponry for the Indonesian Air Force, in Jakarta on Tuesday.  

Harahap said the development of the defense industry and the need for weapons should be balanced.

“Indeed we have to buy weapons from our defense industry, but we also need to know the technology capability of our defense industry, as well as its transparency,” Harahap said. “We don’t want the industry to claim that it can make everything, but the fact is it can’t. Transparency is very important.”

Military expert Al Araf supported the idea of revising the law on the defense industry.

“When we talk about a transfer of technology in the law, to be honest it is not easy. We need to implement a ‘learning by doing’ motto, otherwise we can’t do that. This is also important in the revised law,” Al Araf said.

Currently, Indonesia has several companies that focus on defense, namely state-owned land system and weapons maker PT Pindad, aerospace industry player PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) and shipbuilding company PT PAL. (dmr)

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