Jakarta, IO – Indonesia’s National Resilience Institute, known locally called Lemhanas, has a new Head: Andi Widjajanto. Frankly, he came as something of a surprise, since his name had not previously been circulated much in domestic defense/strategic communities, after the position was vacated by retired Lieutenant General Agus Widjojo, who became the Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines. A much-mentioned candidate for the vacant post was retired Navy Admiral Marsetio, former Indonesia Navy Chief of Staff (TNI AL).
Andi Widjajanto is another civilian appointment as the Head of Lemhanas, as several non-military personnel had previously presided over it, including Professor Muladi and Professor Juwono Sudarsono, among others. Nevertheless, he is not a new entrant in the defense or strategic realm. He is also an academic, like the professors who preceded him. One thing that can differentiate him from other Lemhanas’ civilian Heads is that Andi is a politician, in the very meaning of the term.
His political activism goes back quite a long way, culminating in his place during the first term of President Joko Widodo, 2014-2019. He was then appointed as Cabinet Secretary, one of the positions considered in circles closest to the President. However, he was only there for a limited time, as Joko Widodo replaced him with another confidant, Pramono Anung. The replacement did not signify Andi was being excluded from the inner circle of the President. He was too powerful to be neglected.
Meanwhile, the competitor for the new appointment, Admiral Marsetio is not of such a caliber. He is not part of Jokowi’s inner circle. His access to the President is through Luhut B Pandjaitan, formally Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment. That is why when media reported that President Joko Widodo had finally appointed Andi Widjajanto as the Head of Lemhanas, people with deep understanding of Indonesia’s realpolitik were in fact not surprised at all. Some commented “Andi is closer to the President than Marsetio”.
Be that as it may, the appointment of the son of the late Lieutenant General Theo Syafei, one of former President Megawati’s top politico-military advisers, as the new Head of Lemhanas inspired a mixed reaction amid maritime communities. One side is supportive and believes that he will be able to inject new spirit into the institution, while the other is skeptical and does not at all expect that Andi will have the capacity to exert maritime perspective in his administration.
Widjajanto is considered a non-maritime strategic thinker; he was quite apt with other aspects of the position, particularly land and the air defense system, to a certain degree. Within this context, he is the most suitable working partner for Indonesia’s other defense controllers, the Indonesia Armed Forces commander-in-chief and Minister of Defense, among others, who also have adequate knowledge relating to land/ army strategies and tactics. In other words, the ascension of Andi to the helm of Lemhanas will not influence the country’s maritime defense system a lot.
For the local maritime sector, his appointment will only strengthen the prevailing defense system, one that prioritizes the Army over the Navy or Air Force. The case might be slightly different if Admiral Marsetio had assumed the position. A professor of maritime security at the Indonesia Defense University, he is said to be an ardent proponent of maritime defense. He definitely cannot do much with the idea at this time, when land defense orientation is still the central military doctrine. At least, Marsetio should be able to table the concept.
Unfortunately, the concept itself is yet to be precisely elaborated. What’s more, President Joko Widodo’s Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF) ambition appears unable to bring it to fruition. Now, what does the maritime defense system look like? No specific answer for this question, since the idea has been circulated limited to the Indonesia Navy, let alone TNI Headquarters. My understanding of the ongoing discussions indicates that the system is based on the premise that the Navy should be treated as a core component in defense architecture.
Currently, TNI AL is envisioned as a brown water player, one whose task is heavily tilted toward coastal defense, a position that is fully in accord with the “Big Islands Strategy”. If a maritime defense system can be adopted, the posture of TNI AL will significantly change. First of all, its perimeter would definitely expand, with the possibility of reaching beyond the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Second, warships and aircraft, among others, will be consequently required, in numbers larger than existing armaments.
By comparison, according to available data, total personnel of TNI AL currently number 70,797. this is far below that of those working with the Indonesia Army (TNI AD) which reaches 347,529. It is however considerably larger than that of the Indonesian Air Force, or TNI AU, that numbers 37,830. This composition is a reflection of Indonesia’s defense architecture, where a land force is adjudged more important than one of sea or air.
The idea of a maritime defense system can actually be placed center stage in the President Joko Widodo administration; from 2019 up to the present, maritime defense is one of the five pillars under the aegis of GMF. It seems that the prospect of a maritime defense system has a long way to go. And the appointment of Andi Widjajanto as the Head of Lemhanas is honestly not expected to advance it much either.