"The development of the domestic defense industry must continue to be supported by the government. The development of the industry can provide added value for the Indonesian people, both for the workforce and also for the national economy," said Soesatyo in a statement received here on Wednesday.
He made the statement during a meeting with the Commander of Kodam V/Brawijaya, Major General Nurchahyanto, in Surabaya on Wednesday.
Soesatyo said that Indonesia must no longer rely on foreign industries for meeting its national defense and security needs.
Based on Law Number 16 of 2012 concerning the Defense Industry, there are two main players in the defense industry, including BUMN and the private sector, said the former chairman of Commission III of the House.
Currently, there are at least 81 domestic private businesses that produce military defense equipment, ranging from ship manufacturers, radio communication manufacturers, makers of war management systems, as well as manufacturers of bombs for fighter aircraft, he noted.
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"We have to admit that Indonesia's dependence on the import of defense equipment is still very high. Imports can be done if Indonesia is not able to produce its own defense equipment. However, in reality, the local defense industry is able to compete with foreign defense equipment products," he said.
In terms of military strength, Indonesia now ranks among the world's top 14, he added. By continuing to increase budget support, Indonesia could be in the top 10 global military powers, he said.
"The Defense Ministry budget continues to increase every year. This year, the ministry received the largest budget allocation compared to other ministries, which amounted to Rp133.9 trillion," Soesatyo said.
The amount reflected an increase of 13.28 percent compared to Rp118.2 trillion in the 2021 State Budget outlook, he noted. The budget should have been used to buy domestically made defense equipment, he added.
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Translator: Katriana
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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