Discussing The 2024 Ministry Of Defense's Budget Increase, Kadispenad Reveals Many Old Indonesian Army Alutsistas

Kadispenad Brigadier General Hamim Tohari after a talk show with the media at the Indonesian Army Headquarters, Jakarta, Wednesday (13/9/2023). ANTARA/Genta Tenri Mawangi.

Head of the Army Information Service (Kadispenad) Brigadier General Hamim Tohari assessed that many defense equipment that are quite old are currently still being used by units in the Indonesian Army so that these tools need modernization and rejuvenation.

Hamim gave an example that currently the Medan 11/Guntur Geni Artillery Battalion (YoNarmed 11/GG) still uses a 76 mm mountain gun, which was built intensively in 1948.

"In our strategic plan, in our proposal, there have been many (rejuvenation proposals, ed.), because the Army defense equipment has been old. For example, the field artillery (armed) cannons were made in the 1940s, which the 76 mm gun was still used, including (the defense equipment used) arhanud (air defense artillery), mitigation, and so on," Hamim Tohari said in response to reporters' questions when met at the TNI AD Headquarters, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 13, confiscated by Antara.

Not only that, he continued that the planes used by the Indonesian Army Aviation Center (Puspenerbad) also needed additions.

"Including Puspenerbad helicopters, which are now operating very few, from Mi-17 (helicopter) and others, Bell helicopter, which had an accident yesterday," said Kadispenad.

He assessed that the problem of rejuvenation and addition of defense equipment was not only faced by the Indonesian Army, but also other dimensions such as the Indonesian Navy and the Indonesian Air Force. Related policies are also under the authority of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense which determines the priority of using the budget, including for rejuvenation and modernization of defense equipment.

"Today there is a meeting to discuss the budget in the DPR RI, attended by the TNI Commander and chiefs of staff. Hopefully there will be an increase in the budget for defense, especially for the military in 2024 so that the Ministry of Defense can allocate a more significant (budget) to the Army in the context of rejuvenation of defense equipment," said Kadispenad.

Despite this need, Hamim said that the Indonesian Army currently has several new defense equipment including the Astros II MK 6 rocket and the Mistral missile.

"For example, on Armed there is an Astros Rocket, then in Arhanud there are Mistral Missiles, Starstreak, and so on. That's the latest we have," said Hamim.

The rejuvenation of defense equipment and the purchase of new defense equipment are part of the fulfillment of the minimum main force (MEF) of the TNI, which is currently entering the third stage, namely for the 2020-2024 period.

The defense equipment targeted to be owned by the Indonesian Army by the end of 2024 includes 723,564 minor weapons, 1,354 cannons/rockets/missiles, 3,738 combat vehicles, and 224 aircraft.