Admiral Yudo: As An Archipelago State, Indonesia Should Have Strong Naval Power

Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy (KSAL) Admiral Yudo Margono, when asked for information. Wednesday, (9/3/2022). ANTARA/Dian Hadiyatna

JAKARTA - Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy (KSAL) Admiral Yudo Margono reiterated that the modernization of defense equipment is one of the main priorities of the Navy. This is because Indonesia consists of islands.

"As the largest archipelagic country in the world, it is proper for Indonesia to have a formidable sea power. Therefore, the development of power by modernizing the defense equipment system is one of the priority programs of the Navy", said Admiral Yudo Margono, during the handover of the ship and the inauguration of the commander of KRI Teluk Palu-523, in Bandarlampung, as reported by Antara, Wednesday, March 9.

In addition, he continued, the independence of the domestic defense industry is also a concern, the goals, and policies of the government to meet the needs of defense equipment to maintain security and the existence of the country in the face of political dynamics.

"Alutsista technology is indeed not an easy thing to master, because defense equipment technology, as part of military technology, has always been at the forefront of technological advances in the world", he said.

"This is not difficult to understand because military technology is oriented to the advantage and victory of the other party. So every country will try to create technology that is not or has not been controlled by other countries", he said.

According to KSAL, with the level of difficulty and complexity of defense equipment technology as well as the demands for the independence of the defense industry, commitment from all parties is needed, including industry players who must continue to improve their capabilities to meet the demands of the TNI's defense equipment needs and be able to compete in the market.

"For the Navy, which is responsible for defense and security at sea, tank transport ships are one of the most needed types of defense equipment. This type of ship has various important functions in carrying out sea operations and war operations and so on", he said.

Power projection from sea to land is in dire need of transport ships like this, as well as humanitarian operations such as disaster management.

"Especially if Indonesia's geographical condition as a country with tens of thousands of islands makes the presence of transport ships even more vital, I believe that the presence of KRI Teluk Palu 523 in the ranks of the Navy Alutsista will increase the fighting power, confidence and performance in carrying out the tasks of the Indonesian Navy in the future", he said.