| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesia's Mediocre Military |
| 2005-04-13 |
| EFL Indonesia's armed forces are one of the numerically larger forces in Southeast Asia. Only Vietnam's is larger. This military is not exactly the most modern, but in some areas, it is powerful, and can hold its own against some threats... Funding for the Indonesian military is different — at least from what Americans are used to. Only about 25 to 30 percent of the $1 billion budget comes from the government. The rest of this comes from foundations for each of the services. These foundations often resort to illegal methods of raising funds (like smuggling and poaching). Pay for Indonesian soldiers is also very low — and often the soldiers will supplement their income by setting up roadblocks and shaking down drivers. The Indonesian Army is also suspected of illegally capturing and smuggling parrots (this is surprisingly lucrative — a baby parrot can go for at least $600 from an aviary and prices of over $1000 are not unheard of). The 2004 tsunami will also have a major effect on the Indonesian economy, and thus the defense budget — meaning the foundations that provide most of the funding will have taken a hit. As a result, Indonesia's military has quantity, but the quality is severely lacking, and it will look tougher than it really is. — Harold C. Hutchison (hchutch@ix.netcom.com) |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #2 It does keep some of their excess population occupied and off the streets, more or less. Think of the trouble the lads could get into if they were still living at home supported by Mum & Dad. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-04-13 10:15:55 PM |
| #1 Pay for Indonesian soldiers is also very low – and often the soldiers will supplement their income by setting up roadblocks and shaking down drivers Yikes! Remind your Congressthing to fully fund 3 USMC Divisons plus whatever else they want. |
| Posted by: Sssssshipman 2005-04-13 7:40:34 PM |