The author of the Telegram channel “Lu Man: Look to the East ”tells, how Indonesia creates new military bases to control “archipelagic sea corridors”, why is the "militarization" of Kalimantan, and troops are increasingly deployed on strategically important outer islands in the east of the country.
The base of Natong in the South China Sea and the new command
At the end of December 2018 years commander of the National Army of Indonesia (TNI) Air Marshal Hadi Chahyanto opened a new military base on the island of Natuna Besar, a small archipelago in the southern part of the South China Sea (JuKM).
Integrated Unit (Natuna Integrated TNI Unit) became the first of its kind complex, which will house compound battalions of the ground forces and marines, as well as submarines, warships, fighters, UAV and missile systems, providing a “deterrent effect” at the border.
The Ministry of Defense planned to upgrade military facilities on the Natun Islands with 2009 of the year, when the concept of "Minimum Basic Forces" and the "Defense in Hot Spot" strategy arose, aimed at the gradual deployment of armed forces in areas of potential conflict, most of which are on the outer islands. It is believed, that the impetus for the construction of a new military base was the growing activity of the PRC in the South China Sea.
It is also important to consider, what the Indonesian authorities intend with the approval of the International Civil Aviation Organization (AND LIKE) gain control of the flight information area (FIR) around the skeletons of Natun and Riau, which with 1946 years served by Singapore. The new military base will eventually become part of the discussion between the two countries regarding the future of EPI.
There are plans to create four more such military bases on the key strategic external islands of Biak and Morotai, as well as in the Merauke district in the province of Papua and in Saumlaki on the island of Yamden of the Tanimbar archipelago in the province of Maluku. All of them will be located in the eastern part of Indonesia and focused on ensuring security in the area of the seas of Sulawesi and Banda, as well as Timor, Arafursky, Moluccas and the Pacific.
The created military bases are regarded as a kind of “islands of aircraft carriers”, where will the integrated units of the armed forces be deployed, not related to existing military districts (Kodam). Furthermore, they form the backbone of the new joint regional defense commands (Kogabwilhan), which are under the direct control of the Commander-in-Chief of the National Army of Indonesia, which resembles the organizational structure of the era of the "New Order" by General Suharto, abolished back in the 1980s.
Kogabwilkhan I is responsible for the Riau Islands and the so-called Natuna North Sea (Indonesia's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea), controlling the "first archipelagic sea corridor" (ASL I), which connects the SKM and the Indian Ocean through the Karimata Strait, Java Sea and Sunda Strait. The Kogabvilkhans II and III will provide security along land borders on the island of Kalimantan (former borneo) and in the province of Papua, which are adjacent to Malaysia and Papua New Guinea respectively. It is planned to deploy more armed forces in the border areas to prevent and suppress transnational criminal activity and terrorist activity..
Defense of the future capital on the island of Kalimantan
Plans to relocate Indonesia's capital also include a significant increase in military presence in Kalimantan. Some experts even talk about the actual "militarization" of the island.
In addition to the two existing military districts, a new defense of the capital will be created (Kodam pic). The total number of combat forces on the island will be brought to three brigades (about 7 000 – 8 000 human).
Ground troops, Navy and Air Force will move their headquarters and some support units to the new administrative center. probably, the third naval base at Kalimantan will be created. In the immediate vicinity of the capital will place a special forces battalion, missile defense systems, as well as two aviation squadrons, which include, perhaps, will 16 F-16V fighter.
The new capital of Indonesia will be closer, than jakarta to potential hotbeds of conflict, as well as the problem triangle, where do the borders of Indonesia converge, Malaysia and the Philippines, which is considered one of the centers of international terrorist and criminal activity.
East Kalimantan is also located in the area of the main section of the “second archipelagic sea corridor” (ASL II), which is considered as an alternative to the Malacca direct route between the Pacific and Indian oceans through the Sulawesi Sea, Strait of Makassar, Flores Sea and Lombok Strait. Annually over 420 large ships go this way, transporting around 36 million tons of goods worth 40 billions of dollars.
On the island of Sulawesi, the military has also increased its presence in recent years, including the construction of a new submarine base in Palu and the creation of 2018 Year of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Strategic Reserve Forces (Kostrad) near Makassar. In this way, control and security of ASL II will be provided by troops, located on both banks of the Strait of Makassar.
Submarine base construction in Palu, Central Sulawesi (@oriuploader) pic.twitter.com/uCWAinUXxk
— Tweet Militer (@tweetmiliter) August 16, 2016
Some security experts review eastern Indonesia – from the borders with Malaysia and the Philippines to the province of Papua – as an area of concentration of various threats and challenges, including international terrorism and crime, border disputes, socio-religious conflicts and separatism.
Kalimantan and the Moluccas were centers of religious and ethnic clashes from the late 90s to the mid-zero years. Disagreements with Malaysia on the ownership of the Ambalat offshore block off the east coast of Borneo, where large hydrocarbon deposits were discovered, became one of the most significant international disputes in the region in the first decade of the 21st century.
Central Sulawesi was also the site of intense ethno-religious conflicts in the early 2000s, and now the main problem of this province is terrorism. Militants and organized crime groups piracy, kidnapping, as well as drug smuggling and, special, arms, which comes from southern Philippines to Indonesian Papua – the only region of the country, where separatist sentiments are strong.
East turn
The deployment of four of the five new military bases in the east of the country speaks of the growing importance of the ramified “third archipelagic sea corridor” (ASL III), which connects the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Sea through the Seram, Gang and Sava, ombay strait, as well as the Moluccan, Timor and Arafur Seas.
At the beginning of January 2019 year, the naval base of Taviri Ambon was opened on the island of Ambon in the Banda Sea, which became the main base point of the new tactical group of the Command of the 3rd Fleet (Koarmada III), created in 2018 together with the 3rd Marine Division (Pasmar III) in the province of West Papua and the 3rd Air Force Command (Koops AU III) in the province of Papua in the east of the country.
The formation of the Marines 3 Still in the budget https://t.co/q5qLW49IcJ pic.twitter.com/QQaFiJFjbQ
— DENHARIN (@DenHarin86) March 4, 2017
Over the past decade, the Indonesian army has formed and modernized 60 new territorial and combat units, including infantry battalions in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. Almost half of them are in the eastern part of the country. In turn, the Navy and the Air Force have created and updated about three dozen units and bases, most of which are also located in eastern Indonesia.
Currently, most of Indonesia’s armed forces remain in the west of the country, protecting strategically important maritime communications, including the Strait of Malacca, as well as the general population and economic infrastructure, which are located mainly in Java and Sumatra.
The concept of reorienting the military to the border regions of eastern Indonesia is being implemented with 2004 of the year, but concrete actions to restore equilibrium began to be taken only in recent years. If you can fully implement the plans, the country's leadership will be able to more confidently control the complex territory of the vast archipelago and ensure the safety of promising international shipping lanes.
Author: Lu Man: East look
