T

he Indonesian Military (TNI) has set a goal beyond its target of having 4,000 personnel serve as United Nations peacekeepers by looking to fill strategic posts at the center of peacekeeping operations in New York.

TNI Peacekeeping Mission Center (PMPP) chief Brig. Gen. Victor H. Simatupang said it was equally important to have Indonesian peacekeepers on the ground as it was to have Indonesians in high ranking positions in various missions and within the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO).

“We want to always have someone posted in strategic positions, but we currently have no one at the UN HQ,” he told The Jakarta Post at his office on Monday.

The PMPP is currently preparing to offer around 2,000 additional blue helmets from the Army and Air Force after the UN opened earlier this month a pledging process for an unspecified peacekeeping mission.

“We are still having interministerial discussions and at internal TNI meetings to prepare the necessary requirements to be included in the State Budget,” he said.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi earlier this month stated that Indonesia had contributed a total of 3,545 blue helmets as of November 2018.

Despite currently being the seventh largest troop contributing country, Indonesia has only sent a handful of its best and brightest officers to act as force commanders or as staff at the UN. From 2006 to 2017, only eight officers worked at the UNDPKO.

“One of the reasons is a lack of English language ability, a requirement of the UN, but another is a lack of interest among high ranking officers, as being a staff member at the UN might not have the same level of ‘muscle’ compared to at home,” he said.

He also said that such positions were highly competitive and of significant political interest for many countries.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry’s director for international security and disarmament, Grata Endah Werdaningtyas, said that the ministry had provided support for such strategic postings.

“We always notify the TNI to nominate candidates whenever there is an opening at the UNDPKO,” she told the Post. “However, because the UN uses a merit system, the candidates have to undergo tests and interviews that many do not pass.”

Victor admitted that the TNI still had to improve its officers’ capabilities for such strategic positions. “In addition to mission experience, the officers must also have graduate degrees and professional certifications in their fields of duty,” he said.

Col. Victor George, the last TNI officer posted at the UN, from 2015 to 2017, said the most important benefit of working as a UN staff member was access to information. “We could be included in the committee to establish a new mission, and that is one way to advance our national interest,” said George.

The UN was currently opening a force commander position for its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan that required a three-star officer, said Victor, adding that he recommended the current chief of the Army’s Training and Education Command for the position.

Military and Intelligence expert Susaningtyas Kertopati said Indonesia could have taken advantage of its position as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council by further highlighting the quality of Indonesian peacekeepers.

“To achieve that, we need strong diplomacy capabilities from the TNI, Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry so that Indonesia’s position in the world’s political arena continues to become stronger,” she told the Post.