In early September, the United States and Indonesia participated in joint counterterrorism exercises, part of a trend of growing military ties between the two countries. In an email interview, Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto, associate research fellow with the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, explained Indonesia’s goals in modernizing its military and its military partnerships.
WPR: What are Indonesia's goals in modernizing its military?
Ristian Atriandi Supriyanto: Indonesia’s military modernization is currently based on the Long-Term National Development Plan for 2005-2025, which calls for achieving a “minimum essential force” (MEF) by 2024. This involves building a professional Indonesian National Defense Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, or TNI) by 2024, with a minimum capacity to secure the nation from various security challenges. These challenges include territorial disputes, terrorism, maritime security, separatism and communal conflicts, and transnational crime, as well as natural disasters.