In Front Of General Andika And Pati TNI, Defense Minister Prabowo Calls Hybrid Attacks Still Threatening National Interests

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto while giving a speech at the 2022 Ministry of Defense Leadership Meeting (Rapim), at the Ministry of Defense Office, Jakarta, Thursday (20/1/2022). (ANTARA/Syaiful Hakim)

JAKARTA - Minister of Defense (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto, said the development of the strategic environment, whether global, regional, national which is dynamic and complex, has created military, non-military, and hybrid threats that still threaten national interests.

"Military, non-military and hybrid threats are predicted to still threaten our national interests in the future," Prabowo said in his remarks at the 2022 Defense Ministry Leadership Meeting (Rapim), at the Ministry of Defense Office, Jakarta, as reported by Antara, Thursday, January 20.

Prabowo in the presence of the TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa and other TNI officers said that military threats were predicted to still have the potential to emerge and endanger the sovereignty of the country, the territorial integrity of the country, and the safety of the entire nation.

"Military threats can take the form of threats from foreign military forces or domestic armed forces, such as open conflicts, conventional wars, violations of border areas, land, sea, and air, separatism, and threats of intelligence infiltration and espionage," said the former Danjen Kopassus.

In addition, he said, territorial violations on land, sea, and air will still occur in the form of, among others, violations of land border areas, sea borders in national jurisdictions, and violations of armed foreign ships and violations of airspace by foreign aircraft.

"In the global geopolitical order, the world is still faced with power competition from big countries," Prabowo said.

Therefore, he continued, national defense policy must be capable of and be a solution in dealing with threats posed by the dynamic development of the regional, national, and global strategic environment.

"The policy of implementing national defense is a reference for the Ministry of Defense and the TNI to organize national defense," said the General Chair of the Gerindra Party DPP.

The implementation of national defense must be guided by the Universal People's Defense and Security System (Sishankamrata). By involving all citizens, regions, and other national resources.

"Sishankamrata must be prepared early and carried out in a total, integrated, directed, and continuous manner to uphold state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of the entire nation from threats that we may face," said Prabowo.

The 2022 State Defense Policy is the result of evaluation and follow-up of efforts to achieve the policy targets set in the 2021 state policy.

The ongoing policy targets will be continued, including the policy for the formation of reserve components and the arrangement of supporting components, the policy for developing the TNI posture, the realization of a defense area based on large islands, the development of a decentralized logistics system, and strengthening defense in strategic strait areas, he said.

However, along with the estimation of the emergence of various threats as well as the impact of the growth of the strategic environment, several policy targets have changed.

Thus, he said, the 2022 Ministry of Defense Rapim took the theme "Consolidating the Development of National Defense Forces".

"This theme implies that we and all components of the nation must work together to be able to uphold state sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of the entire nation in order to face various threats, disturbances, obstacles, and challenges in the future," Prabowo explained.

With the cooperation of all components of the nation and professionalism in the management of defense and security, he added, it will ensure the sustainability of the national economic recovery and sustainable structural reforms as well as a strong national defense towards advanced Indonesia.

Present at the Kemhan Rapim were Kasad General TNI Dudung Abdurachman, Kasal Admiral TNI Yudo Margono, Chief Marshal TNI Fadjar Prasetyo, National Police Chief Gen. Pol Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. M Herindra.