"The use of technology in conventional war and cyber war will continue to increase. TNI and Polri personnel must be able to penetrate into matters related to technology," the president stated at the TNI-Polri Leaders' Meeting at the TNI headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to Jokowi, technological developments could change conventional wars into remote wars, for instance, with the use of unmanned aircraft, or drones, as weapons.
The president also considered the need for the main weapon system (alutsista) as a combat tool for TNI soldiers.
However, he called on the personnel to be careful in using drones that can identify targets with their advanced technology.
"Do we need a tank and jet fighter? Yes. But we need to be careful with drones. I remember in January 2020, there was a use of drones that surprised me because they were so very precise and accurate in pursuing targets," he remarked.
The president also drew attention to the death of the commander of the Quds Force, who was the bodyguard of the Iranian revolution, Major General Qasem Soleimani.
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Jokowi stated that Major General Soleimani was shot by a drone controlled remotely though was precise enough to hit the target, as it was equipped with facial recognition technology.
"It happened in Iraq, but the drone was controlled by the United States base in Qatar. We must monitor the development of such technologies," he emphasized.
Hence, he underscored the need to gain mastery of science and technology in the military sector in Indonesia.
He then called on the TNI and Polri personnel to become active and adaptive as well as conduct early detection, take anticipatory steps, and strengthen professionalism by not neglecting services to the community.
In addition, he reminded of the need for synergy between the TNI and Polri.
He emphasized the need to build synergy horizontally between units and vertically from top to bottom in addition to eliminating sectoral egos and narrow views.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi G, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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