Before the president gave his directives, Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who is also the council’s daily chair, presented his report to several ministers of the Red and White Cabinet who were in attendance at the meeting.
"As reported by the daily chair, defense is a vital issue for a country. Even in the opening of our Constitution, the first national goal is to protect all Indonesian people and all Indonesian territory,” Prabowo stated.
“The first principle is the principle of protection, meaning the principle of defense," he emphasized.
President Prabowo, also serving as the DPN chairman, highlighted that the National Defense Council is mandated in Law Number 3 of 2002, concerning national defense, which is detailed in Article 15 regarding the establishment of the National Defense Council.
However, the DPN was officially established in 2024 based on Presidential Regulation Number 202 of 2024.
Related news: Defense self-sufficiency key for strong Indonesia: official
According to the regulation, the DPN has an important role as an advisor to the country's leadership in determining general defense policies and managing the deployment of all components of national defense.
"However, we only realized it in 2024. It means that only 22 years after the Law was passed, we now have a National Defense Council according to the mandate of Law Number 3 of 2002," Prabowo noted.
Prabowo emphasized that in a country, the foundation should be rooted in the flow of ideology and prosperity rather than realism.
"There are ideological streams and prosperity streams in the state, but what is now prominent, what is now emerging, and what now seems to be in effect is the state stream based on the principle of realism," he concluded.
Related news: Prabowo urges TNI, Polri to uphold law and protect sovereignty
Translator: Mentari Dwi Gayati, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
