Indonesia's Big Spending: Not Just Buying J-10, but Also Frigates?
Indonesia's military procurement plans are becoming increasingly hard to understand.
On the 21st, Indonesian media released a video interview with Frengky Wenas, head of the Information and Communication Department of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense.
In the interview, Wenas revealed Indonesia's comprehensive military procurement plan, which includes purchasing 7 Chinese 053-class frigates, 3 Type 039 (A) conventional submarines, 2 British Type 31 frigates, 2 Italian Taaone di Revel class frigates, as well as 2 Turkish Istanbul class frigates.
When the media once again inquired about this news, the Indonesian Navy Information Office "did not deny the ship procurement plan," and stated that they were ready to accept the proposed plan, saying, "This decision was carefully considered, aiming to enhance Indonesia's maritime defense capabilities."
Additionally, the Indonesian newspaper "Republika" pointed out that although the list of ships purchased by the Indonesian Navy seems to be quite extensive, some of them are just publicity gimmicks, as these ships have already been delivered. For example, the two Italian frigates, one of which, the "Brawijaya" (KRI Brawijaya-320), was delivered to the Indonesian Navy in October this year.
But even so, Indonesia's procurement list is still enough to surprise people, because Indonesia's defense budget this year is only 15.2 billion US dollars. Does the Indonesian Navy have enough money to buy warships? Even Indonesian netizens do not believe that their navy has this capability.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1846675232593923/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.