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Military to boost intelligence capacity

Jakarta Post - December 24, 2014

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Nani Afrida, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has unveiled plans to improve its intelligence capacity as part of efforts to deal with more threats in the future. The plan was also aimed at bringing back the level of capability the TNI achieved during the New Order era.

"The Reform Era has diminished our intelligence capacity. We have been working to fix it and this is the right moment to start improving our capacity," TNI commander Gen. Moeldoko told reporters at the military headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, after a two-day leadership meeting that wrapped up on Tuesday.

Under the current system, every military division and every battalion has its own intelligence unit. Moeldoko said that one of the first steps in improving intelligence capability would be to restructure the system and management of human resources.

The TNI chief said that education and training would be intensified for personnel as well as modernization of intelligence technology. There was also a plan to develop synergy in intelligence between military branches, namely the Army, the Air Force and the Navy.

The TNI has recently opened a school for analysis and intelligence management and 30 officers have enrolled in the program as the first batch of students.

"We will run an evaluation after six months and if the results are good, we will add more students," Moeldoko said, expecting that many intelligence masters would graduate from the school.

The school of analysis and intelligent management was officially opened in November 2014 with the aim of training military officers who have advanced skills in intelligence.

Moeldoko said during the school's inauguration ceremony that it was time for the military to have figures like Gen. (ret) LB Moerdani and Gen. (ret) Hendropriyono, both of whom were known as fathers of the country's intelligence service.

Improving capacity in intelligence was not the only agenda discussed in the military leadership meeting over the two days. In the meeting, attended by 174 high-ranking military commanders from across the country, also discussed better pay systems for military personnel.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo earlier pledged on the campaign trail that he would improve the welfare of military personnel. "The President has said that all military personnel would get additional income ranging from 37 percent to 50 percent," Moeldoko said.

The plan to improve the welfare of military personnel has been included in the 2006 strategic plan, or Renstra. However, Moeldoko declined to give details on the amount of funds needed to improve the welfare of soldiers.

He said that he had submitted a proposal for additional budget to the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) and House of Representatives Commission I for political, security and foreign affairs.

Analysts have said that better welfare could improve discipline among military personnel, some of whom seek additional income by providing protection for private businesses because of their low living standards.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/12/24/military-boost-intelligence-capacity.html.