Lessons to be learned

What can Indonesia learn from the recent visit of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the recent air show in Singapore? The US wants to strengthen relations to move beyond earlier focus on Indonesia as a potential terrorist flashpoint after the September 11, 2001 attacks and offer to upgrade the country’s defense capability. From the air show, we learned that Indonesia’s defense capability appeared to be less advanced compared to its tiny neighbor, as well as Malaysia (Indonesia ranks only better than the Philippines). Gates, after meetings with Indonesia’s president and the defense minister, said the U.S. was prepared to offer support and training for ongoing military reforms in Indonesia, help update its fleet of military transport aircraft and its F-16s. Indonesia’s military relations with the US prospered in the past. The top generals were trained at West Point. And military hardware were supplied by the US. Then the US imposed an arms embargo on Indonesia for alleged human rights abuses. One day, former president Soeharto summoned air force chief Air Marshall Tubagus Sutria to the Bina Graha presidential office. Tubagus, unaware of what the president wanted to ask him, was surprised he had not proposed to purchase warplanes from elsewhere. “Get the Sukhoi jets if the Americans aren’t selling to us,” Soeharto ordered. Then the US courted Indonesia again and offered F-16s (Congress probably softened a bit). But the F-16 jets offered were intended for sale to the Pakistanis, not Indonesia. The US stalled the sale to Pakistan because the country was suspected of building nuclear weapons. By the time Indonesia wanted to buy US warplanes, they were not available. During President Megawati Soekarnoputri’s term Indonesia then purchased the Sukhoi warplanes. When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Indonesia, he offered President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono a credit of $ 1.2 billion to buy Sukhois, Kilo-class submarines, helicopters and tanks (this has caused great concern in Australia). We may not be as advanced as Singapore or Malaysia and we do not believe that we will be fighting wars (beware,we have more infantry soldiers.) But the point is that we should never be dictated by any country in charting our own destiny.