TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The chief of staff of the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) General Mulyono said that the military continues to reinforce the Military Regional Command (Kodam) XIII Merdeka in North Sulawesi and Kodam VIII Kasuari in West Papua. The two military regional commands were unveiled in December last year.
“I expect it [reinforcement]. An established unit must be reinforced well,” Mulyono said at the Indonesian Army Headquarters in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Monday, January 23, 2017.
However, Mulyono said that the new military regional commands are only completed 30 percent in terms of base construction and the number of personnel. According to him, the Indonesian Army lacks support for the construction.
“The base [construction] and personnel deployment will be [addressed] gradually, we will increase the budget annually,” he said.
Mulyono said that the Indonesian Army will continue to push for construction of key facilities in the two military regional commands this year. “For example, Kodam Kasuari does not have a hospital. Therefore, we will prioritize hospital construction and continuous deployment of its personnel,” he said.
Kodam Kasuari is located in Manokwari, West Papua, and Kodam Merdeka is located in Manado, North Sulawesi.
Kodam Merdeka was disbanded in 1985, merged with South Sulawesi’s Kodam XIV Hasanuddin under a new name of Kodam VII Wirabuana.
YOHANES PASKALIS
