Indonesia needs more weapons for peace: JK

Indonesia needs more weapons for peace: JK.

Latest brand: Military uniforms made by Sritex, a local garment factory, are displayed during the Indo Defense Expo and Forum at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Wednesday. The expo, which runs until Saturday, has 844 domestic and foreign companies participating.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

All countries should improve their defense capabilities to mitigate ongoing tension around the world, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Wednesday, adding that the potential for conflict is real everywhere.

"Boosting defense systems to maintain security is a must. It is not meant to create war. It is aimed at maintaining peace," he said when opening the 2016 Indo Defense Expo and Forum at JIExpo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Kalla pointed to the higher risk the country faced due to its challenging geography as well as huge population to emphasize the urgency for the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police to have advanced weaponry systems.

He encouraged state-owned defense companies, land system maker PT Pindad, shipbuilder PT PAL and aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) to also focus on maintenance.

"We must also focus on maintaining the products instead of just producing them," he said.

Accompanied by Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, Kalla had a quick tour greeting the exhibitors after the opening ceremony of the expo, visiting PT Pindad and PT DI as well as US defense giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, among other companies.

The biennial expo, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday, is showcasing 271 domestic defense companies and 573 foreign arms suppliers from more than 40 countries.

This year's theme is "Bolstering Defense Industry Cooperation: Achieving a Global Maritime Fulcrum and Secure World".

"The theme is in line with President Joko Widodo's program to make [Indonesia] a global maritime axis," Ryamizard said in his remarks.

He added that the expo would also feature seminars to further explore the development of the defense industry from different parts of the world, which is expected to improve research in Indonesia.

"We have arranged agreements to require arms makers to transfer their technologies to us if there are any procurement deals [made] during the event."

Indonesia requires all weapons procurement to include a certain level of local content, a process also known as offset, as part of transfer-of-technology obligations.

One of the exhibitors, aerospace and defense giant Airbus Group, said it had directly created 600 Indonesian jobs as part of its cooperation with PT DI.

"We have been cooperating with PT DI for 40 years now and are looking forward to future cooperation," Airbus Group senior communications manager for Asia Pacific, Siva Govindasamy, told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the expo.

"The cooperation is not only limited to military products but also our civilian aircraft such as Airbus A320, A350 and A380."

The event is also hosting an international seminar themed "Achieving Comprehensive Maritime Surveillance and Security through Technology Innovation and Partnerships".

The seminar was opened by Ryamizard with State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno as the keynote speaker. Other speakers were Alex Zelinsky, chief defense scientist at Australia's Defense Science and Technology Organization; Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander of logistics group Western Pacific; and chiefs of staff of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Participants are also scheduled to hold presentations on their products. Scheduled to deliver their presentations on Thursday are, among others, Swedish defense and security firm SAAB, Italian defense giant Leonardo Finmeccanica and US defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

The public will be able to visit the defense expo on Saturday with entrance tickets selling for Rp 50,000 (US$3.82). Visitors can see various weaponry systems from domestic and foreign defense suppliers in both the indoor and outdoor display areas.