JAKARTA - The Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps (AL) is reviewing the formation of a definitive Marine unit to guard the border area and outermost islands in Natuna, Riau Islands (Kepri).
This was conveyed by the Commander of the Marine Corps Major General TNI (Dankormar) Endi Supardi after a discussion entitled "Indonesian Historical Perspectives in the Settlement of North Natuna and Papua Sea Conflicts" held by the Indonesian Navy History Office in Jakarta, Monday, July 8.
The outer islands in the Natuna Islands are the leading regions of Indonesia that directly face the South China Sea and border Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
"Ideally, (Marine troops there, ed) as a (definitive) unit, there are currently still task forces (task units), they want to be like friends in the Army, so they are definitive. There, there is a Marine Battalion, such as in Yon (Batalyon) 10, definitive so that the budget and others are all in the Navy," said Dankormar.
Endi also believes that Marine troops guarding border areas and outer islands ideally are members of a definitive unit.
"This has been studied. It's just a matter of going forward to be better because the task force has a time limit, if it's definitive, it's not. If the task force is rolling (changes people, ed.) per year," he said.
However, the proposals regarding the formation of definitive Marine units on the outer islands may not have been included in the TNI-Navy Strategic Plan 2025 2029 and Postur Pembangunan Kekuatan TNI AL 2025 2044.
This year, the Indonesian Navy is preparing the two strategic documents for the development of medium and long-term strengths.
"If the task force is out, it seems that it is still not. However, what we have imagined in Natuna has been studied so that it becomes a definitive unit to remain there as friends in the Army in the same battalion, if the Marines have a composite company that is still in units," said Dankormar.
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In the Natuna Islands, precisely in Setengar, the TNI assigned a Marine Composite Task Force (Satgas) to protect Indonesia's outermost and leading regions.
Not only that, in some of its outer islands, for example on Laut Island and Sekatung Island, Marine troops who are members of the Marine Task Force for Security of the Outer Islands also guard the leading islands of Indonesia.
In a span of almost 30 years, the Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps sent its soldiers to border areas, such as the Ambalat Block, which is the border area of Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as to the outer islands, most of which are uninhabited, to uphold sovereignty while maintaining security.
Several uninhabited outer islands are currently guarded by Marine troops, including Sekatung Island in the Natuna Islands, Nusa Barung Island in Jember, Dana Island, and Batek Island.
Nusa Barung Island in Jember Regency, East Java, is at the forefront of Indonesia which is directly adjacent to Australia.
Then, Dana Island in Sabu Raijua Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, is also Indonesia's outermost island which is directly adjacent to Australia. Finally, Batek Island is Indonesia's outermost island bordering Timor Leste.
Indonesia is an archipelagic country consisting of more than 17,000 islands, and only about 7,000 inhabited islands.
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