Indonesia's Armed Force put a
major display of its military capability off the coast East Java as it
celebrated its 69th anniversary. The recent showcase of the country's military
might was also part of a farewell to the outgoing President Yudhoyono, the man
who helped drive modernization of Indonesia's armed forces.
The USD1.6 million display by Air
Force, Navy and Army featured 149 military vehicles, 230 planes, and 42
battleships. British corvettes and the F-16s as the newly acquired while
American—made Apache attack helicopters soon to be delivered. More than 18,000
military personnel took part in the military parade.
Under President Yudhoyono's
leadership, defense budget tripled to nearly USD8 billion. Despite of the
military spending, Indonesia still at 40 percent of its Minimum Essential
Forces, By its own standards, that means Indonesia still isn't fully able to
defend its borders.
"We live in a world that's still
has many conflicts and even wars. Relations between major countries, that were
once stable and cooperative in the past years, have become increasingly tense,"
Yudhoyono said.
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