"The government is committed to speeding up the fulfillment of the first phase of MEF (minimum essential forces) in five years` time," Armida who is also chief of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) said on the sidelines of a working visit to the Eastern Indonesian Fleet Command (Koarmatim) here on Friday.
Armida was during the visit accompanied by National Defence Forces (TNI) Chief Admiral Agus Suhartono, Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Soeparno and a number of officials from the Defence Ministry, Bappenas and TNI Headquarters.
She said TNI needed a great deal of armaments to support its tasks. However, the amount of budget needed to procure the armaments was also not small and therefore, there must be accountability to use them more effectively.
"The MEF priority of main armament system depends on the user (TNI) which must coordinate with the Defence Ministry. All must be integrated, including the revitalization of defence industry," she said.
She said her visit to the Eastern Indonesian Fleet Command and state shipbuilder PT PAL was designed to know the extent to which the MEF had been achieved in relation with the development of domestic defense industry.
As a maritime state, Indonesia was trying to implement long-term programs including the procurement of TNI`s main armament system and the development of shipbuilding industry, she said.
"Both must be developed together by observing how far they will have a positive impact on the economy," she said. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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