Jakarta plans compulsory military service

wuming78 SG

High school graduates may undergo basic military training for two months

JAKARTA - Indonesia's Defence Ministry is drafting a Bill that would make it compulsory for the nation's youth to do military service.

The Ministry's Director General for Defence Strategy, Major-General Sudrajat, said that under the Civilian Participatory Defence concept, the youths would be recruited and trained to support the army's strike force.

He said that Indonesia needed more defence personnel on the ground.

The ministry, he said, was not focusing on maritime defence for now, despite the fact that Indonesia is an archipelagic country.

'We are drafting the legislation on national defence, that mandates us to regulate the use of the Indonesian military (TNI) as the main component of the state's defence, and the use of reserves and support units,' Maj-Gen Sudrajat said over the weekend.

He said that another aim of the programme was to boost national character-building and 'implant nationalism' among youths.

Based on the proposal, which is being discussed by the ministry's officials, the draftees - high school graduates of both sexes aged 17 years or above - would be obliged to undergo basic military training for two months.

With its population exceeding 215 million, Indonesia has around 400,000 military personnel, most of whom are in the army. But the country also has 17,000 islands.

Maj-Gen Sudrajat, however, conceded that the proposal would need further discussion, especially regarding funding.

'I'm not sure whether the state could implement such a programme in the next five or 10 years.'

He added that the military has been capable of overcoming the threats the country had faced thus far, suggesting that there wasn't really an urgency.

Indonesia imposed mandatory military service in the 1960s when the country fought the Dutch over West Papua.

At that time, Indonesia spent huge sums to buy weaponry from Russia, including tanks, MiG jet fighters and trucks. However, it continued to lack military personnel.

-- The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

--ST

foga SG

itchy backsides. monkey see monkey do. Crying or Very sad

ChrisYX SG

With the size of their population, I really wonder how are they going to implement the plan effectively?

sgboy2004 SG

next will be phillipines...thailand...then vietnam, then cambodia...then....

_______________________
sgboy2004, the Good Boi
Croco Corner

epImetheus SG

Idonesia is an archipelago. the country should improve its navy first before improving the army. what use is a huge army if it is stuck on its own land? Confused

ChrisYX SG

Include swimming lessons for all personels. Mr. Green Combat swim from island to island. Laughing

ditzy SG

Its the latest fad. Now or never.

epImetheus SG

Shocked
then swimming events for future SEA Games will be dominated by idonesians

ChrisYX SG

then can have new event: combat swim 100m in full battle order. Laughing

paulho SG

navy costs big $$ and resources, also takes time to grow. building a militia force may be cheaper stop gap solution. with so many islands easier way to safeguard them is to have military outposts everywhere with regional commands but soldiered by civilian militia. like during suharto time.

Plus considering China will be rolling out 1st of the 3 aircraft carrier in 2006 then again in 2008 and 2012, definately they will start enforcing their claims and exerting influence in south china and beyond.

Once they start doing it, they will start to contest overlapping claims and there will be many many of such claims. In most cases "Might means Right" settles the issue.

If you dun have outposts to check and control the populace in these outlying territory that may be part of the overlapping claims very easy for foreign power to come in and create trouble like inciting people to "revolt" or "independance referendum"(seeing how easy it already is to incite them) then in midst of disorder annex the place on pretext of "restoring order".

I-like-flings(m) SG

they can't even control their 400k army and they want more??? just training more terrorist to mi. Mr. Green

|-|05| SG

Bad thing about them doing this is that with the amount of fundamentalist there they could easily be providing terror groups with free training!!!and shoot themselves in the foot…..like someone said…..it’s just a fad