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July 11, 2009 Nivell Rayda Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged to raise the defense budget 21 percent to help modernize the nation's Armed Forces. (Photo: Rumgapres) Rejuvenated SBY Vows to Up Defense Spending If a signal were needed to illustrate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's strengthening of purpose since his overwhelming electoral victory, there is no better example than his sudden promise on Friday to lavish trillions more on next year's defense budget. Announcing that the military budget would swell next year by Rp 7 trillion ($693 million) from Rp 33.6 trillion for 2009, he called recent years' spending insufficient as the government had been focusing on people's welfare. "Year after year, we will gradually increase the military budget, so we will be getting closer to the optimum budget requirement of Rp 100 trillion to 120 trillion," he said, adding that given current economic growth he was confident the goal could be achieved. According to state news agency Antara, he said the starting point was the 21 percent rise next year. The stretched defense budget has been criticized as the source of several recent military airplane and helicopter crashes across the country, particularly the crash of an Air Force Hercules C-130 in Magetan, East Java, on May 20, killing 101 people. Budget shortfalls have also been blamed for the country's weak border controls. Indonesia has struggled to secure its vast territory, an issue again thrown into the spotlight early last month when the Armed Forces said a Malaysian warship violated Indonesian territory in Ambalat waters off East Kalimantan. The main issue is the military's shoddy safety record, which has increasingly been a source of national embarrassment. In mid-June, Yudhoyono ordered the Defense Ministry to conduct an audit of budget shortfalls and a technical inspection of the Armed Forces. Two days later, the House of Representatives budgetary committee agreed to raise defense spending by 8.5 percent, or Rp 2.8 trillion. The figure was immediately criticized by Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono, who said it was far less than he had expected. But Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said shortly afterward that she had no objection to raising defense spending by as much as Rp 10 trillion as long as budget discipline was observed. Yudhoyono's new pledge makes such a hike much more likely. Shortly before his remarks on Friday, Yudhoyono had a closed-door meeting with Juwono, State Secretary Hatta Rajasa and Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi to discuss a blueprint for modernizing the Armed Forces. "The military must make an assessment of our strategic environment, particularly the opportunities and threats," Yudhoyono said. "Our defense systems, equipment and logistical needs must meet those assessments. "There will of course be a mismatch between our requirements and available funds in budget. That's why the next step that the military must take is to prioritize its needs." Any budget increases would have to be accompanied by greater transparency, efficiency and accountability in the use of those funds, he said. "I have instructed the military and the defense minister to use the budget effectively and to be judicious in its spending," he said. The president urged the military to cooperate with the government, local industries and research and development institutions in modernizing the country's defense capabilities. Related articles Military Gets New Batch of Local Armored Carriers 10:27 PM 10/07/2009 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
