Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T07:59:28.818Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 3 - Strategy and Defence: The Indonesian Approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2015

Get access

Summary

Historical antecedents, geographical setting and a political ideology as well as knowledge that poorly equipped Indonesian forces could never hope to match a technologically advanced invader, have all conspired to mould a unique territorial defence strategy tailor-made for Indonesia's national security needs. As early as 1958, Indonesia's pioneer defence planners devised a doctrine of territorial defence that was based not on retaliation against foreign countries, nor even on conventional military defence along a front, but rather on making Indonesia's own territory hard to conquer.

By the 1980s, however, the Indonesian economy was far more developed than it had been when the territorial defence doctrine was formulated. Since General Murdani's tenure as armed forces commander, Indonesia's defence strategy has incorporated another dimension. Namely, a defence programme that reflects a geostrategic appreciation that the most vulnerable borders of the nation are its maritime zones and the Armed Forces must be prepared to meet the enemy there.

The adoption of this new approach did not imply abandoning the old one as suggested by a recent study. Rabasa and Haseman in their study The Military and Democracy in Indonesia (2002, p. 26) though correct to assert that, at the strategic doctrinal level, a significant shift has taken place by the adoption of the New Paradigm (to be discussed in Chapter 5) in place of the Total People's Defence and Security System (Sishankamrata, Sistim Pertahanan Keamanan Rakyat Semesta), the authors concerned did not analyse critically how the doctrinal shift would be implemented in practice. Did the TNI's New Paradigm mean a repudiation of the strategic and defence component of the Sishankamrata? Six years have elapsed since the introduction of the New Paradigm in 1999: Has the TNI come up with new doctrines for external defence? While there is a new commitment for the TNI to orientate itself to external defence contingencies, it must be emphasized that a modern strategy has yet to be devised to deal with a situation where Indonesia needs to combat a superior enemy force invading its territory.

Type
Chapter
Information
Realpolitik Ideology
Indonesia's Use of Military Force
, pp. 177 - 274
Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
Print publication year: 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×