Oops, Defense Threats And Security Disturbances That Lurk IKN Nusantara

IKN Nusantara, a strategic project that has received a lot of attention. (Ist illustration)

JAKARTA - National security occupies a vital position in the economic and social development of a country. One of the most important issues in national security is the security of the national capital (IKN) of the Archipelago.

Judging from the various war strategies, the capital city of the country has always been the target of combatants. This is because the national capital has a strategic role as the center of gravity of government, economy, and military instruments.

Thus, the national capital becomes a strategic vital object that must be protected by all the military forces of a country.

It is important for Indonesia to anticipate various attacks targeting the capital city, whether in the form of attacks that come from the air, land, sea, or cyber.

Discussions about the defense and security disturbances of the new capital did not escape the public discussion. In fact, the public discussion has been busy since before Law Number 3 of 2022 concerning the State Capital was passed. Moreover, moving the country's capital to East Kalimantan brought the Indonesian capital closer to Malaysia.

The move of the country's capital city from Java Island to Kalimantan Island resulted in a shift in the center of gravity of the Indonesian government. The national defense strategy has also undergone changes due to this shift.

Potential Threats

IKN Nusantara. (IST illustration)

Director of Defense and Security of the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas RI Bogat Widyatmoko revealed various potential defense threats and security disturbances that lurk in the new capital city of Indonesia, namely the Capital of the Archipelago.

The first threat is the location of the country's capital city which borders Malaysia. The land border with Malaysia stretches for 2,062 km. According to Bogat, this is an entry point for defense threats and security disturbances.

Moreover, Indonesia and Malaysia are often involved in disputes over territorial boundaries, both land and sea. In order to avoid this condition in the future, Indonesian diplomats must be more skilled in carrying out diplomacy with Malaysia.

The outbreak of conflict with Malaysia that may occur in the future can pose a serious threat to Indonesia because of the location of the capital city which is now directly adjacent to Malaysia.

Not only that, Bogat also explained that the position of the Capital of the Archipelago is surrounded by defense alliances, such as the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) involving Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Britain, as well as the security alliances of Australia, Britain and America. Union or AUKUS.

On the other hand, the Capital of the Archipelago is also squeezed by the existence of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is a global development strategy by the People's Republic of China (PRC). This development strategy certainly involves infrastructure development and investment in 152 countries.

The impact of the crush of security alliances full of Western bloc support, along with BRI which is an initiative of China as one of the strongest rival countries to the United States, said Bogat, brings a new geostrategic challenge for Indonesia.

Moreover, with Indonesia's position as a country that adheres to a non-aligned foreign policy.

Apart from Indonesia's neutrality, there are other threats that are no less dangerous. The threat is a threat that comes from the air. Moving the capital city to East Kalimantan resulted in the location of the Indonesian capital being closer to the Flight Information Region (FIR) of Singapore, Kinibalu (Malaysia), and Manila (Philippines).

In addition, air threats have also increased due to the location of the new capital city within the cruising radius of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), as well as being within the hypersonic missile radius of certain countries.

This threat became an important note for Indonesian defense, especially air defense, to increase their capacity, both increasing the capacity of human resources and increasing the capacity of facilities and infrastructure.

Another potential threat is the island of Borneo, which is now often the location and route for transnational crimes to take place, such as people smuggling and narcotics sales.

Moreover, the location of the capital city of the archipelago is also close to the terrorist transit triangle, namely Sulu, Sabah, and Poso.

This threat shows that the instability that can occur in the Capital of the Archipelago is not only caused by threats that come from abroad, such as borders, military alliances, and missile radius, but also comes from within the country.

Judging from the urgency of the threats that lurk in Indonesia after the move of the national capital, the Government created a new system of national defense and security.

Smart Defense

IKN Nusantara. (IST illustration)

To secure the country, said Bogat, Indonesia adopted smart defense. Smart defense is a combination of hard defense or military defense, with soft defense or non-military defense.

Regarding hard defense or military defense, Indonesia will focus on strengthening technology in its defense. For example, increasing the capacity of defense equipment with high technology.

Regarding soft defense, Indonesia will empower local wisdom. Based on experience, said Bogat, the people of Kalimantan have a very close love for Indonesia since the Dwikora era until now.

The collaboration between hard defense and soft defense will result in strengthening Indonesia's defense in land, sea, air and cyber areas.

Based on the indicators of livable cities published in The Economist, security stability ranks at the top and is the most important indicator to ensure a city is a livable place.

Meanwhile, health services, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure rank next under stability and security.

Weak defense and security will become a transaction burden on development, both in terms of time, risk, and cost. All developments and achievements in the economic field can collapse in an instant if a country is heavily battered.

Therefore, security stability is the main variable in the development of IKN Nusantara.