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Civilians can now enlist as military reservists. The youth are not entirely convinced
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More than 500 youths from 18 districts in the Central Java regency of Purbalingga take part in military training as part of the State Defense program in Munjulluhur camping ground on Dec. 12, 2016. The government plans to recruit 25,000 people to join the military reserves program for 2021. (Tribunjateng/Khoirul Muzaki)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo recently signed a regulation allowing civilians to enlist as military reservists in a bid to strengthen the country’s defense system and deal with emerging national threats.
Government Regulation (PP) No. 3/2021 was issued on Jan. 12 as an implementing regulation for the 2019 law on the management of national resources for state defense, covering the formation of the new defense scheme, the admission process and the education program.
Young people aged 18 to 35 are the main target for the military reserves program, which is to be managed by the Defense Ministry.
According to Article 1(9) of the regulation, reservists are a national resource that can be mobilized to increase and to strengthen the Indonesian Military (TNI) as the country’s main military component.
The 2019 law stipulates that reservists can be mobilized in instances where the country faces military, nonmilitary and hybrid threats including separatism, communism, terrorism, aggression, natural disasters and chemical and biological attacks, among other issues.
Read also: National defense program for civilians not 'militarization', says deputy minister
Not compulsory conscription
