Indonesia using U.S. Pacific Fleet as blueprint for naval buildup
BLOOMBERG

SINGAPORE– Indonesia is modeling its naval forces after the U.S. Pacific Fleet as President Joko Widodo restructures the nation’s military, according to his navy chief.

The Indonesian Navy will have three fleets covering the nation’s east, west and central regions that will report to a newly created headquarters, Chief of Staff Adm. Ade Supandi said in an interview at a maritime convention on the Malaysian island of Langkawi. The country has a 20-year plan to boost maritime security, he said.

“We want to create a main fleet, something like the Pacific Fleet that would be the main command fleet to deploy any requirements made by the three areas,” Supandi said. “This will make our operation and control more efficient.”

Widodo, known as Jokowi, has laid out an ambitious vision to develop the fishing industry, improve port infrastructure and boost sea defenses as Indonesia grapples with illegal fishing, piracy and neighboring territorial disputes.

Key to his plan is modernizing a navy that patrols the world’s biggest archipelago, a string of more than 17,000 islands that would stretch from New York to Alaska.

The navy has a budget of 14 trillion rupiah ($1.1 billion) for 2015, which could be extended to around 20 trillion rupiah if needed, according to Supandi. Indonesia has 15 to 20 ships in the various zones at the moment and will need 100 to 150 ships to achieve its 20-year plan, he said.

Sourcing warships

Indonesia is negotiating with previous suppliers, including the Netherlands, as well as local companies, Supandi said. The nation has bought ships from China, India, South Korea, France and Spain, he said.

Indonesia has long focused its defense spending on ground forces as it dealt with internal security threats, leaving the navy short of ships, manpower and technology. Jokowi has said he wants to boost defense spending to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product.

About 40 percent of the assets currently owned by the navy are between 25 and 50 years old, and some do not have proper combat capabilities, according to Supandi.

Jokowi has approved the reorganization of the military, according to military chief Gen. Moeldoko. The overhaul will be done in stages, create the position of deputy military chief, expand the air force and army and establish a third air force operations command, Moeldoko told reporters Tuesday after meeting Jokowi.

Under the restructuring, the navy has given the coast guard enforcement authority and it will coordinate with the ministry of transport, police, navy and army, Supandi said at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition. It will give the coast guard 10 ships, he said.

Military spending

Total military spending increased to 81.96 trillion rupiah ($6.2 billion) in 2013 from 72.94 trillion rupiah in 2012, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

In contrast China’s defense budget will rise about 10 percent in 2015 from spending last year of 808.2 billion yuan ($129.7 billion).

The U.S. Pacific Fleet is the world’s largest naval command, extending from the West Coast of the U.S. into the Indian Ocean, taking in more than half the Earth’s surface. The fleet’s headquarters are at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and it has 84 ships, including six littoral combat ships and 35 destroyers.

Indonesia has three diesel-electric submarines being built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. that could be delivered by 2017, Supandi said.

The country currently has five submarines and will need a maximum of 12, he said.

“Submarines are important for Indonesia because we are surrounded by deep as well as shallow waters,” said Supandi.

Maritime disputes

Indonesia shares maritime economic boundaries with at least 10 countries, including India and Australia, and its waters take in the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes that links the economies of India, China and Japan.

The nation’s seas include parts of the South China Sea, where China is locked in territorial disputes with multiple nations and claims areas near Indonesia’s Natuna Islands.

President Xi Jinping has made a navy with longer reach a priority to boost China’s claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

Indonesia has sought to stay out of its neighbors’ spats with China and is not an official claimant to areas in dispute. But it has said China’s interpretation of its nine dash-line map — the basis for its territorial claims — is seeping into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.

Supandi said he’s not worried about a challenge from China in the Natuna Islands, as China’s not interested in them. Indonesia has four to five ships patrolling the area, which houses a naval and air force base, he said.

Warm and friendly

“Indonesia does not have any disputes with China and regards the relationship as warm and friendly, just like the relationship between Indonesia and other neighboring countries,” said Supandi.

Indonesia’s navy was tested recently by the underwater hunt for AirAsia Flight 8501 that disappeared from radar Dec. 28 en route to Singapore from Surabaya. The search showed that Indonesia needs more remotely operated vehicles, salvage ships, sonar-equipped assets and metal-detection equipment, Supandi said.

Another task for the navy is combating fuel smuggling that has embroiled people from all walks of life, from provincial officials to the armed forces, as they took advantage of subsidies that once cost the government more than $20 billion a year. Jokowi has seized on sliding global oil prices to implement a cut in the country’s diesel subsidy and scrap subsidies for gasoline.

Hands-on commander

Indonesia has an integrated maritime surveillance system in the Straits of Malacca to counter any illegal activities, including smuggling, said Supandi. It needs more patrol ships in these areas, including mobile surveillance systems, he said.

Jokowi has said he also wants to stop smuggling of Indonesia’s natural resources, including fish. He wants a network of drones to help with that across the country.

“He is a hands-on commander in chief who believes that priority should be given to the sea,” said Supandi.
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