Surabaya, Indonesia – As Indonesian officials announced this week that rescue operations involving Chinese submarines have recovered “debris” from the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine, which sank off the coast of Bali last month, questions have been raised about the military and government. its preparation.
Rescuers so far could not find the wreckage of the wreckage that sank on April 21 while she was exercising.
It is believed that the submarine – with 53 people on board – crashed and sank more than 840 meters (2,755 feet), below sea level 300 meters (984 feet), causing three wrecks.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, former Deputy Admiral Iwan Isnurwanto said items from KRI Nanggala-402 had also been recovered including torpedo ropes, technical equipment, life connectors and metal plates from outside the vessel but that rescue work had not yet been found on the main body of the ship.
He also said that raising any part of the water can be a daunting task.
“Several times, Tan Suo-2 [a Chinese rescue vessel] he has tried to lift a bow or a bridge. He estimates that the main tower weighs about 18 tons, which is why he failed to raise it […]He said.
A search team filled with mud has also emerged, and Isnurwanto said it is possible that a large part of the submarine lives in the valley, along with the bodies of the crew.
The sinking of the KRI Nanggala-402, which was built in 1977 in Germany and purchased by the Indonesian military in 1981, has raised questions about all Indonesian weapons, most of which are imported.
Software changes
Over the years, Indonesia has been exporting weapons from more than 20 countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia and South Korea.
Indonesia began refining its weapons in 2007.
Gilang Kembara of the Center for Strategic and International Study (CSIS), an Indonesian think tank focusing on political, security, and economic activities, says the Indonesian military has launched its short-term strategy in 2010 with the aim of establishing and upgrading its weapons by 2024. .
“The Navy is changing its warships, which are taking place regardless of the number of old warships used in these ships, most of which were developed during the Cold War,” he told Al Jazeera. “It is also considering the upgrade of its submarines, frig aircraft, aircraft and helicopters for the Navy’s Aviation Center.”
In 2021, the Indonesian Armed Forces budget increased by 11% to 136 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($ 9.2b), following a 2020 budget cuts due to the spread of COVID-19.
When the KRI Nanggala-402 sank, the Indonesian army commanded three more submarines from South Korea, with the aim of operating eight submarines by 2024. KRI Cakra-401, the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine, has been repaired. from January 2021.
Indonesian military chief Hadi Tjahjanto speaks to reporters during a search of the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine. The accident that killed 53 people has raised questions about the age of some weapons [File: Fikri Yusuf/Antara Foto via Reuters]
Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands, is facing an increasing number of problems at sea and has found itself at odds with China whose fishing vessels have been found operating illegally in the archipelago.
Natalie Sambhi, director of Verve Research, a multidisciplinary research collective on the military of Southeast Asia, previously told Al Jazeera that Indonesian naval vessels were “inadequate” due to the large number of its operations.
Indonesia also has a history of domestic or military programs that must complement its armed forces, including the idea of Bela Negara, which seeks to integrate government forces into the main task of defending the country, through military training, political training and the establishment of auxiliary forces.
But Ian Wilson, a senior lecturer in politics and security studies at Murdoch University in Australia, says this would have left the military unprepared for the challenges they are now facing.
“In many areas, this is at odds with the concept of military, state-of-the-art technology and weapons that focus on Indonesian security and national interest, as well as international threats,” he said.
“In the past the military has focused on the management of power and energy management, and that is probably one of the reasons why there has been a shortage of modern weapons.”
‘The Ship’
The Indonesian Army was formed in October 1945 in pursuit of independence and currently has about 400,000 personnel in the armed forces, the military and the armed forces.
Despite the difficulties – and allegations of human rights abuses in some of the workplace – for many in this country, war life is considered competitive and successful.
Rear Admiral Frans Wuwung was previously the chief pilot of the KRI Nanggala-402, and said he did not feel anything when working on the train from 1981 to 1985.
Relatives throw flowers into the sea off the coast of Bali at a ceremony to commemorate Indonesian navigators KRI Nanggala [File: Juni Kriswanto/AFP]
Wuwung says sailors would have to undergo a thorough training and selection before being allowed to work on the ship.
“The train was the biggest part of my life and the experience of my life. She can’t be separated,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t stop crying, because it was missing.
“It’s like the memories of my youth have grown up with them. And sadly, my brothers, the best people in the world, have to die with this super train.”
