KSAL Admiral Yudo Margono Affirms The Indonesian Navy Is Already Global

A number of Indonesian Navy special forces carried out hostage and ship release exercises by neighbors in the waters of Jakarta Bay/ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Chief of Naval Staff (KSAL) Admiral Yudo Margono emphasized that the Indonesian Navy (AL) is currently global and equivalent to Navy abroad. "Don't hesitate, we are on par with the tasks that are always carried out and present in every activity abroad," he said at KRI Dewaruci, Jakarta, Antara, Friday, September 2. Yudo made this affirmation while conducting a friendship with a number of national mass media leaders over KRI Dewaruci who sailed in Jakarta Bay. Yudo displayed efforts to save hostages and hijack ships by a number of special forces belonging to the Indonesian Navy. In addition, it was also shown by KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda who had just completed the task of Maritime Task Force (MTF) in Lebanon, for a year and a half. MTF is a task under the mandate of the United Nations (UN), which carries the responsibility to support the Lebanese Navy in supervising their territorial waters. "With the existing strength, we are ready to maintain the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia," he said. He emphasized that naval soldiers are tasked with providing security guarantees to those using Indonesian sea shipping routes. "We provide security guarantees for navigation and shipping security guarantees from hawkers," he said. As an archipelagic country, he said, the Indonesian Navy carried out its main task of maintaining the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. "That's already a fixed price," he said. Regarding the program in the future, Yudo said that he would adapt to the development of the existing situation, conditions, and threats. "So far, the threat is on the border, such as smuggling illegal migrant workers to ship robbery," he explained. For this reason, Yudo emphasized that he had strengthened the sea fleet at ten Indonesian borders and held coordinated sea patrols with friendly countries.