"Health issues pose a major threat to national security," Sadikin said during a visit with Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to a logistics site in Cibitung, West Java, on Wednesday.
He cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a key example of the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration, noting that Indonesia was only able to vaccinate 270 million people within 18 months after working with the Indonesian Military (TNI) and other stakeholders.
"In the first three months of 2021, vaccine uptake was stagnant. I told the President we couldn’t do it alone—it required collaboration," he said.
Sadikin also referenced historical data, saying more soldiers have died from disease than in combat.
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"World War II claimed tens of millions of lives, but there’s an even bigger war—the war against pathogens," he said.
He stressed that modern threats extend beyond armed conflict to include health, economic, and information warfare, making it essential to integrate TNI into national biosecurity planning.
TNI, he added, often provides the fastest response during emergencies such as floods, earthquakes, and landslides.
To bolster preparedness, the Health Ministry and TNI have established an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) to respond to both disasters and non-military threats like pandemics.
Sadikin also called for the creation of additional response units beyond the EMT, and urged coordinated efforts between central and regional governments to strengthen national resilience.
He outlined three areas requiring joint focus: pandemic preparedness, disaster response, and territorial health security to protect national soft power.
"Let's work together to protect the health and safety of all Indonesians from invisible enemies like COVID-19," he said.
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Reporter: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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