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Jokowi spends large on defense, but ‘without clear vision’
Jokowi's former rival, Prabowo Subianto, as the new defense minister is expected to make significant changes in military expenditure.
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Pilots of the Air Force’s Sukhoi SU-30MK2 aircraft walk on a runway after an exercise at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, on Oct. 3. (Antara/MN Kanwa)
D
espite defense being the largest post in the annual state budget, the government has fallen behind its targets in modernizing weaponry systems due to mounting amounts spent on personnel and maintenance of older equipment.
At the end of the second phase of its 15-year-old weaponry modernization program, the Minimum Essential Force (MEF), the government has only reached 62.8 percent of implementation, far behind the targeted 72 percent, making it a challenge to complete the program as scheduled in 2024.
Despite the surge in budget allocation, data obtained by The Jakarta Post show a downward trend in the ministry’s allocation for Indonesian Military (TNI) weaponry system modernization between 2015 and 2020 from 18 percent of the total defense budget to 9 percent.
The 2020 defense budget will total Rp 127 trillion, up 16 percent from Rp 109 trillion this year. Compared to six years ago, next year’s allocation marks an increase of around 25 percent.
The ministry’s director general of defense potential, Bondan Tiara Sofyan, said the allocation for 2020 was mainly to cover spending on salaries, personnel expenditure and personnel welfare for ministry employees, which accounted for around 40 percent.
Meanwhile, around 30 percent was allocated for expenditure on goods and maintenance of existing defense equipment, 25 percent for capital expenditure including spending on new equipment "and a small portion, very small, is for research and development," she said.
Amid the downward trend in the modernization budget, the TNI instead requested an increase in the budget for its newly formed special force (Koopsus), the purpose of which is still being questioned by the public. For 2020, the TNI has proposed 1.9 trillion alone for it after allocating Rp 1.5 trillion in 2019.
