Indonesia has revealed that a portion of its planned $125 billion investment in defense will go to procuring up to 50 new warships over the next two years. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said that the Indonesian government is now focusing on increasing the country’s military might, particularly the capability of the Navy, with the backing of the President, who has authorized and endorsed the largest military budget allocation in Indonesian history.
For the fiscal year 2022, the Ministry of Defense was allocated a budget of IDR 133.9 trillion (USD 9.3 billion). The Ministry of Defense was given the go-ahead to make the Indonesian military the most powerful in Southeast Asia. In particular, he stated that the feet of combat ships will be strengthened through purchase over the following 24 months, bringing the overall feet to 50 battle-ready vessels.
Indonesia has demonstrated determination in protecting its maritime sovereignty in the face of overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea and has already started to beef up its marine defense force. In 2021, British company Babcock International struck a deal with Indonesia’s PT PAL to build two modified versions of the AH140 frigate in Jakarta. Prabowo has also inked contracts for six Italian FREMM multi-role frigates and two refurbished Italian Navy Maestrale-class light frigates.
(Sources: Independent Observer; The Defense Post)