RI ABLE TO BECOME SELF-RELIANT IN DEFENSE INDUSTRY

Jakarta, July 16 (ANTARA) - Indonesia has the capability to become self-reliant in defense industries, State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said here on Thursday.

"Indonesia actually has the capability to meet its own needs for defense equipment," Kadiman said at a seminar on "Defense and Security Science and Technological Revitalization for Self-reliance in Defense Industry 2025".

He said Indonesia had an abundance of natural resources and human resources to achieve self-reliance in defense industry.

Kadiman added that to realize defense industry self-reliance, there should be a strategic policy for the mastery of defense technology and security which was directed at the fulfillment of the counry's needs for military hardware.

But he admitted that it could not be achieved if there was no solid synergy between the government and all related institutions to develop reliable products of national defense security and defense-related science and technology.

"With strong synergy, good defense industrial products can be created," he said.

On the occasion, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said Indonesia at present remained unable to create sophisticated armaments such as fighter jets and submarines.

"National defense self reliance can be achieved only by developing defense industries in continual and well managed stages, because Indonesia at present is only able to create weapons with medium technology such as patrol boats, armored vehicles, and other weapons," Juwono said.

The defense minister also mentioned that the planned 20-percent rise in the 2010 defense budget would be mainly spent on maintenance and servicing of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) military hardware.

"We will use most of the budget rise on the maintenance of military cargo C-130 Hercules planes which play a strategic role in both military and non-military operations such as humanitarian missions at home and abroad," Sudarsono said.

He added that the budget would also be spent on the maintenance of the Navy warships and a number of ground battle vehicles.

But he said the procurement of new sophisticated and costly armaments such as submarines would not be realized under the 2010 state budget because economic recovery and social welfare were still the government's first priority.

The defense ministry admitted, however, the defense budget rise of 20 percent was still inadequate because it was still not enough to meet the military's minimum needs for armaments.***4***
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