A Number Of Defense Ministry Strategies To Face The 'Invisible Enemy'

Deputy Minister of Defense (Wamenhan) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono (Photo: Ministry of Defense's Public Relations Bureau)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Defense (Wamenhan) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said that the current COVID-19 pandemic has made everyone aware that the issue of defense is not only defense equipment but also non-military security in the fields of food and health.

He said the current pandemic can be likened to an invisible war enemy because it has changed people's lives to the way they interact. So, the Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) is currently making strategic steps to deal with this pandemic.

"We are currently designing several strategic steps in dealing with this invisible enemy with an emphasis on developing food security and health so that this nation is ready to face a similar event if it recurs," Trenggono said in a written statement quoted by VOI on Saturday, May 23.

In the health sector, Prabowo's representative, the Ministry of Defense is carrying out a transformation at the Defense University (Unhan) by establishing the Faculty of Military Medicine, the Faculty of Military Pharmacy, and the Faculty of Military Engineering.

"We want to produce superior human resources (HR) in the field of keshetan. Then there are pharmaceutical and virology laboratories. This is all so that health resilience becomes independent in the future," he said.

Meanwhile in the food sector, said Trenggono, currently his party is looking for land to provide food reserves for national interests. There are several locations that he has seen, but he did not describe these locations anywhere.

"We are looking at several locations that we will use in order to support food security. Realizing the idea of food reserves requires policy consistency because it takes a long time to realize it," explained the former treasurer of the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin National Campaign Team in the 2019 Presidential Election. then.

But what is certain, he said, is that resilience in the non-military sector, especially health and food, will continue to be a focus for him at the Ministry of Defense.

Moreover, since he was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo on October 25, he has declared the war against the virus is a war that will be faced by Indonesia in the future.

"At that time I declared the war in the future, one of which is the war against the spread of viruses and diseases," he said.

Previously, Minister of Defense (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto also stated that COVID-19 was a dangerous threat to all Indonesian people and all mankind.

"This is actually a war, a war against an invisible enemy, a war against an enemy who has no ideology, has no other agenda other than threatening human safety," Prabowo said in his written statement, Tuesday, April 28.

It is known, until Friday, May 22 the number of additional confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 continues to grow. As of today, the government announces that the total number of positive cases has now reached 20,796 with a total of 634 cases added.

Then, the number of cured cases surpassed the death cases. There were an additional 219 patients recovered, bringing the total to 5,057 patients. Meanwhile, 48 patients died, bringing it to 1,326 patients.

Meanwhile, the patient data under surveillance (PDP), which is currently still under surveillance, has reached 11,028 people. Meanwhile, the number of people under monitoring (ODP) who is currently still being monitored has reached 50,057.

Furthermore, the number of specimens examined per day has reached 9,359 times. In detail, 9,082 specimens were examined using real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and 277 specimens were examined using a molecular rapid test (TCM).