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Bolstering TNI readiness, cooperation for disaster relief
Today, countries are increasingly contributing military assets to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). While the role of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in peace support operations is not new, its engagement in disaster relief activities has grown since the mid-2000s.
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Today, countries are increasingly contributing military assets to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). While the role of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in peace support operations is not new, its engagement in disaster relief activities has grown since the mid-2000s. (JP/Ruslan Sangadji)
D
uring the dry season this year, forest and land fires have taken a heavy toll on Kalimantan and Sumatra. Apart from being located in the Ring of Fire, Indonesia is prone to man-made disasters owing to its vast peatland. In an effort to quell fires that cover more than 328,720 hectares, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has deployed a 9,072-personnel-strong task force, including forest firefighters, military, police and local volunteers.
Today, countries are increasingly contributing military assets to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). While the role of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in peace support operations is not new, its engagement in disaster relief activities has grown since the mid-2000s. Following the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Aceh, domestic and international military actors mounted a huge humanitarian airlift.
Military resources were also used in response to the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake and after the 2010 Wasior floods in Papua. Throughout 2018, the TNI supported relief missions in the aftermaths of the Lombok earthquake, the earthquake and tsunami in Palu and Donggala in Central Sulawesi and the Sunda Strait earthquake and tsunami last December.
Two key factors have led to the military’s growing interest in HADR. First, assisting relief efforts can improve its image and provide a way for the armed forces to diversify their role at a time of defense budget cuts. Second, with an increase in natural disasters, the military’s role is likely to expand, particularly in response to large-scale disasters, where the capacity of civilian agencies may be overstretched.
Despite a relatively low possibility of high-intensity conflict in Southeast Asia, Indonesia still needs adequate military readiness to anticipate times of crisis. International experts such as David Alexander and Alan Chong acknowledge that earthquakes and tsunamis can have similar impacts on armed and social conflicts. The increasing number and scale of natural disasters have led to more situations where civilian relief agencies must operate with military forces in the same environment.
Recent experiences have also shown that civilian emergency services are often overwhelmed when major natural disasters strike. According to a 2008 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, “timeliness” is the main reason to employ military assets to gather relief efforts during recovery after catastrophic incidents.
Nevertheless, critics of the military’s involvement in relief activities claim that it is inappropriate, contrary to humanitarian principles and often driven by political imperatives rather than humanitarian need.
