New Navy chief to prioritize allowance for border soldiers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 11/14/2009 1:10 PM

Indonesian navy officials welcome the arrival of KRI Hasanuddin 366 warship at Tanjung Priok port, Jakarta (29/1/2008). A new 1,600-ton warship manufactured in the Netherlands was armed with surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine missiles and electronic warfare equipment. (ANTARA Photo/Fouri Gesang Sholeh/kim)

Newly appointed Navy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Agus Suhartono said he would prioritize the payment of allowances for soldiers stationed in border areas as part of the current administration's 100-day program.

"We want to ensure success for the government's program of providing allowances for border soldiers," Agus said Friday after a handover ceremony at the Navy's Eastern Fleet pier in Surabaya, according to news portal detik.com.

Agus is replacing Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno.

"The amount of the allowance is still being discussed and pending a presidential decree," said Agus, who was previously the Defense Ministry inspector general.

"We can set *the amount* as a guide for the Defense Ministry. We are also still determining the number of Navy personnel eligible for the allowance," he added.

Agus expected the disbursement would be able to begin in 2010.

He said eligible personnel were those currently safeguarding the 12 outermost islands and deployed under the aegis of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) operation.

Agus was installed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday at the State Palace.

The Army chief of staff position was transferred from Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo to Lt. Gen. George Toisutta on Wednesday while the Air Force chief of staff role was transferred from Marshal Subandrio to Vice Marshal Imam Sufaat on Thursday.

Both George and Imam attended the handover ceremony, which was led by TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso. Also attending the ceremony were East Java Governor Soekarwo and other high-ranking provincial officials.

In his address, Djoko said such handovers were usual procedures within the TNI, although they held significant and strategic meanings.

"The duty rotation mechanism involves not only a procedural mechanism but also a more substantive mechanism emphasizing the TNI's continuous development as the country's main defense component," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

"This will also inspire renewed spirits and fresh ideas which are projected to improve organizational performance."

Djoko also emphasized that the Navy should work toward a zero-accident program like the other two TNI services.

"The state budget is still limited to providing weapons for the TNI," he said.

"We cannot use the insufficient budget as an excuse for not achieving a high level of professionalism and zero accident rate," he added.

Indonesia has a defense budget of Rp 33.6 trillion (US$3.57 billion) this year and plans to increase the budget to Rp 40.6 trillion in 2010.

As in the Army and Air Force, most of the Navy's inventory is outdated, although there have been procurements of several new vessels.

The Navy has purchased four Sigma-class corvettes from the Netherlands and four landing platform docks (LPD) from South Korea.

While the four corvettes were built in the Dutch Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding shipyard, two of the LPDs were constructed in South Korea and the other two were built at state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL's facilities in Surabaya.

Indonesia is also considering the purchase of new submarines to add to its fleet of two German-made U-209 submarines, first commissioned in 1981.

Meanwhile, South Korea has agreed to grant Indonesia 10 LVTP-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles for the Marine Corps.

The Navy has suffered from a number of recent accidents. A TB-10 Tobago trainer airplane was forced to make an emergency landing in the Silandak River estuary in Semarang, Central Java, on April 28 due to engine problems.

The Navy also lost an Australian-made Nomad transport aircraft on Sept. 7 in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, killing one Navy personnel and three civilians.

In Dec. 30, 2007, another Nomad crashed in Sabang waters in Aceh killing three Navy personnel and leaving two others missing.

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