INDONESIAN NATIONAL ARMED FORCES DAY
Indonesian National Armed Forces Day (Harry Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI) was celebrated in Belgrade together with 68th anniversary of October 5th 1945 when in the middle of National Revolution (1945-1949) the People’s Security Army (Tentara Keamanan Rakyat), the predecessor of TNI was established.
On this occasion, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian defence delegation in Serbia organized a reception which was attended by diplomats and embassy personnel, the members of the Indonesian community as well as by the members of the Board of the Association of Serbian-Indonesian Friendship “Nusantara”.
In his welcoming speech, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy Widya Parsaoran Gultom said that this holiday commemorates the glorious achievements of TNI and highlights and confirms its unique role in the Indonesian society.
Charge d’Affaires Gultom recalled the historical development of the TNI in the struggle for independence and its later importance in preserving the independence of a country which, with more than 17,500 islands, is the largest archipelago in the world whose extreme western and eastern point are as far as London and Istanbul.
Gultom pointed out that TNI members do not only care about homeland security, but are actively involved in the peacekeeping missions in various parts of the world. He mentioned that among peacekeepers under the United Nations once were, among others, the current President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and defence attaché to Serbia Colonel Berman Sitanggang.
President Yudhoyono who had been Army General before he entered politics, was the main Indonesian military observer in the UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia in 1995-1996. Defence Attaché Sitanggang, then a captain, was engaged in UNPREDEP mission in Macedonia.
In his address Colonel Sitanggang said that the TNI military delegation in Serbia stood for about 500,000 members of Indonesian Armed Forces.
Sitangang also said that the present situation in the armed forces is estimated based on past, present and future. We are proud of the past, satisfied with the present and optimistic about the future, the Colonel said.
Defense Attaché further stated that the theme of this year’s celebration of the Armed Forces Day was “Professionalism, combativeness, solidity, and people make TNI strong” (“Professional, Militan, Solid Day Bersama Rakyat TNI Kuat”). This means that the TNI together with the people of Indonesia supports the principles of professionalism, solidarity, adherence to vows of serving and fostering unity within military units.
On the occasion of Indonesian National Armed Forces Day it has been said that 68th anniversary means that the army is reliable and professional enough to preserve the sovereignty of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
On the occasion President Yudhoyono, who holds supreme authority over the Army, Navy, and Air Force, said that “the results of the (TNI’s) internal reforms must be on display during next year’s elections. Please ensure that the military’s alignment is in line with the best interests of the state.” said the president.
The head of state speaking at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base in Jakarta, has also invited members of the Indonesian Armed Forces to fully master the art of handling modern primary armed defence system (alutsista) since, as quoted by English-language daily “Jakarta Post”, TNI was faced with increasing challenges, including the increased presence of the United States od America in the region of Southeast Asia.
“To be able to carry out the task, we have (to improve quality), including the modernization of major armed defences system (alutsista), to reach the minimum level of the essential force,” Presiden Yudhoyono stated.
Yudhoyono said that the TNI would improve their weapons in the future since Indonesia had signed defence cooperation agreements with several countries. Thus, in the near future, the ground forces will receive additional defence equipment including main battle tanks, weapons and helicopters. Meanwhile, the Air Force will procure 24 new F-16 aircraf, light attack aircraft turboprop Super Tucano, and T-50 multipurpose supersonic aircraft. As for the Navy, Yudhoyono said it would soon receive corvette warships, destroyers, missile frigates, maritime patrol ships and tactical multi-barrel rocket launchers.
Indonesian armed forces were formed at the end of the Second World War to protect just proclaimed independence of their homeland. It initially consisted of local militia but soon grew into a regular army.
It is estimated that regular ground forces (TNI-AD), have about 233,000 members.
Navy (TNI-AL) has about 74,000 members and 150 vessels. The Indonesian Navy also includes the Indonesian Marine Corps (Korps marinir or KorMar), main amphibious warfare force and quick reaction force of defence against enemy invasion.
The Air Force (TNI-AU) was formed in 1946 and today has nearly 35,000 personnel equipped with 510 aircraft including the Sukhoi, Russian-made Su-27 and Su-30.
The army also includes Border Army KOSTRAD PERBATASAN, or Strategic Army Corps. These units protect international borders of Indonesia It guards Indonesia’s border with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor Leste (East Timor).
Serving in the TNI is voluntary. It is estimated that there are about 52 million people in Indonesia aged between 16 and 49 years, which could serve in the armed forces, or about two million who could serve TNI each year.
The TNI since 1992, each of the military branches began to form small women-only units (Wanita TNI). Women are involved in administrative work, teaching foreign languages, and improving the health and social condition of army members and their families. That is the motto of the Army Women’s Corps (Kowadła): “Not in the garden decorating roses, but like jasmine railing the nation.”
It is estimated that the TNI has over 5,000 female members. Presently, a woman with the highest military rank in TNI is Christina M. Rentetana, a two-star Navy Admiral.
President Yudhoyono announced earlier that the budget for defence in 2014 would amount to 7.91 billion dollars (83.4 trillion IDR), which makes an increase of nine per cent compared to the previous year. The head of state said that these funds represent about 0.9 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Indonesia, would be used for modernization of TNI and the basics of domestic defence industry.
http://evroazija.info/u-beogradu-proslavljen-dan-nacionalne-vojske-indonezije/