President Mandates Prabowo to Develop National Defense Industry
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31 October 2019 20:44 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reportedly ordered Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to develop the country's domestic strategic defense industry and take full advantage of the defense budget to achieve the agreed essential requirement.
“Wherever possible, don’t rely entirely on imports. The budget must be used for strategic industrial development from the upstream and downstream,” said the president on Thursday, October 30.
He also encouraged state-owned enterprises (SOE) to work in partnership with the private sector in terms of developing Indonesia’s national defense industry.
“The defense industry does not only involve alutsista (strategic primary weaponry defense system) but there is so much more,” said Defense Deputy Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono on October 25.
The deputy asserted that Prabowo is not interested in relying on defense equipment from other countries, except for equipment that demands advanced technologies.
AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI
