JAKARTA听–听Indonesian听笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听Joko Widodo on Thursday emphasized the importance of听尘颈濒颈迟补谤测听hardware modernization but warned any听蝉辫别苍诲颈苍驳听should be done wisely as the state budget was limited.
The archipelago nation of 270 million people, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, is seeking to modernize its听尘颈濒颈迟补谤测听but has lagged its regional peers in recent years.
“厂辫别苍诲颈苍驳听for听尘颈濒颈迟补谤测听hardware听尘耻蝉迟听be done wisely, in terms of the amount or allocation,” Mr. Jokowi, as the听辫谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听is known, said during an armed forces parade.
Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, a likely听辫谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟ial candidate seeking to replace the outgoing Mr. Jokowi next year, has led a series of procurements of late, including 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets for $8.1 billion, 12 new drones from Turkish Aerospace worth $300 million, and 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets valued at $800 million.
Mr. Jokowi in July also warned his cabinet to maintain a “healthy” budget as he highlighted outsized听蝉辫别苍诲颈苍驳听by the security agencies, including the defense ministry.
For the past decade,听滨苍诲辞苍别蝉颈补‘s defense听蝉辫别苍诲颈苍驳听per capita and as a percentage of gross domestic product has been the lowest among Southeast Asia’s six emerging market economies, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank. – Reuters
