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TNI chief candidate to strengthen maritime defense, improve quality of soldiers
The legislature has unanimously approved the President's pick for the top military chief, who has said he will work to realize Jokowi's vision of turning the country into a "global maritime fulcrum".
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Kaharuddin Djenod (left), director of state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia, speaks to Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Yudo Margono on the sidelines of the ceremonial handover of the KRI Dr Rajiman Wedyodiningrat-992 hospital ship on Aug. 15, 2022 in Surabaya, East Java. (Antara/Didik Suhartoni)
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avy Chief of Staff Adm. Yudo Margono, the only candidate nominated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, said at his confirmation hearing on Friday that he would strengthen maritime defense to help realize the President’s vision of turning the country as a “global maritime fulcrum”.
“All countries acknowledge Indonesia as a maritime nation. We will increase maritime strength, safeguard all sea lanes and enhance the country’s maritime security,” Yudo told reporters after the hearing.
He emphasized that it was Indonesia’s “obligation to guarantee the safety of marine navigation” against piracy, because the majority of international vessels passed the country’s sea lanes.
The four-star general said his top priorities were to improve the quality of TNI personnel and modernizing the national weaponry and systems (Alutsista) across its three services, so Indonesia could promptly ward off potential conflicts in the face of rising tensions in Indo-Pacific.
“Developing the capability of the TNI’s defense equipment must be based not only on quantity, but also quality, so any threats to Indonesia that are normally dealt with in days can be handled in a matter of hours,” Yudo added.
Improving the TNI’s territorial defense capabilities would also be part of its new focus, he said. This would involve integrating the capabilities of all three services and strengthening the functions of the relatively Joint Regional Defense Command (Kogabwilhan), a unit that was formed in 2019.
Yudo also pledged to develop a more “humane TNI” and to exert every effort to ensure that no soldiers or officers would be caught doing “dishonorable things or acting in an arrogant way” that could harm the people.
