President Jokowi and Defense Minister Discuss Modernizing 'Alutsista'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday, April 29, held a meeting with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta. The private meeting reportedly discussed updating Indonesia’s primary weapons defense system or Alutsista.

This was confirmed by the Defence Ministry’s spokesperson Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak on Thursday “One of the [discussion] is the roadmap on modernizing the alutsista.”

This issue was expressed publicly by Prabowo Subianto himself after the tragic sinking of the Indonesian naval submarine KRI Nanggala 402 in Bali strait just last week. The Nanggala that ended up sinking 838 meters below the ocean surface was a German built submarine produced in 1977.

Subianto asserted that modernizing the alutsista in the National Armed Forces’ Army (TNI AD), Navy (TNI AL), and Airforce (TNI AU) during the press conference that officially announced the sinking of the submarine.

The former Army Special Forces (Kopassus) general said President Jokowi had ordered him and TNI leaders to create a master plan on Indonesia’s defense for the next 25 years, which he said will be formulated in 2-3 weeks. 

Read: Jokowi Reminds Leaders to Keep Tabs on Covid-19 Developments

EGI ADYATAMA