The fighter jet from France, Dassault Rafale. (Image via Kompas Tekno)

We might or might not buy Rafale: Sakti

Deputy Minister of Defense, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, said that the Ministry of Defense still cannot determine whether or not they will purchase French fighter aircraft, Dassault Rafale. For now, the Ministry is focusing on other projects.

Previously reported by La Tribune, the Indonesian government stated its interest in purchasing 48 Dassault fighters and four Scorpene submarines from France, having quoted from the French Defense Ministry.

Speaking in the Defense Ministry building in West Medan Merdeka on Wednesday, Sakti said that the Ministry was just taking a peek at Rafale. The Ministry is focusing more on evaluating Indonesia’s defense system in 2019. Sakti said that the halted project on land, sea, and air should continue.

During the 2020 Defense Minister Meeting on Wednesday, Sakti explained that he and the Minister of Defense, Prabowo Subianto, will spend 2020 by focusing on fortifying Indonesia’s defense system. The meeting was attended by civil servants I and II in the Defense Ministry and the representatives from Armed Forces Headquarters, Army, Airforce, and Navy.

For the Ministry, the year 2020 is a crucial year for Indonesia’s defense; therefore, the Defense Ministry will compile strategic policies and products.

Sakti reminded that 2020 is the starting point for the five-year reign of the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi). Therefore, coordination and synergy between work units, i.e. the Ministries and Agencies should be maintained intensely.

Prabowo will attend the second day and the final day of the meeting on Thursday with Jokowi.

To be an independent country, one of the measures will be to develop Indonesia’s domestic defense industry to fulfill the Armed Forces’ primary weaponry defense system (Alutsista) demand. Sakti also mentioned the non-military defense industries such as food, energy, and health care.

Source: https://bit.ly/2RGWfk3