Jakarta (ANTARA) – Defense of a country was determined by science and technology, Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto stated.

“I underline, the defense of a country in the XXI century is determined by science and technology. The Indonesian nation must seize science and technology,” Subianto said, as quoted in a statement received in Jakarta on Friday.

Subianto conveyed the statement while serving as inspector of the opening ceremony for Vocational Diploma (D-3), undergraduate (S-1), master (S-2) and doctoral (S-3) programs as well as promotion of D-3 student cadets and S-1 Defense University (Unhan) for the Academic Year 2022-2023 at the Defense University State Defense Campus, Bogor, West Java.

On the same occasion, Subianto assessed that the Defense University was a strategic and vital educational institution related to this national defense issue. He believes this was since the Defense University was the only institution in Indonesia that studied the entire spectrum of studies and lessons on defense management strategies and war science.

“Defense is absolute. If we are rich, we must be strong in maintaining wealth. If we want independence, we must be strong to maintain independence. If we want to be sovereign, we must be strong in maintaining sovereignty. This is where the importance of the Defense University,” he explained.

Furthermore, Subianto said that since having resumed his duty as minister of defense, he placed the development of the Defense University as one of the important values, so that this educational institution was able to produce reliable, idealistic, and professional human resources.

He took that step since at this time, the development of technology and science in the world required reliable, idealistic, and professional human resources.

The Defense University students, who passed the selection of new students for the 2022-2023 academic year totaled 792 people from all provinces in Indonesia. They comprised 175 people in the D-3 program, 300 people in S-1, 293 people in S-2, and 24 people in S-3.

Strengthening defense and security cooperation with ASEAN countries is imminent in building trust, capability, and diplomacy, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto earlier stated.

Strong cooperation also develops professionalism of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and the defense industry in addition to supporting foreign policies, Subianto stated at the 2022 Defense Ministry leaders’ meeting here on Thursday.

At the meeting, he urged the TNI to bolster readiness, professionalism, and security for tackling terrorism, radicalism, separatism, hidden dangers, and natural disasters as well as for executing the work of humanitarian assistance and Indonesia’s mission for world peacekeeping.

The minister also called on the Indonesian military to step up preparations in facing the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats.

Indonesia must realize the establishment of TNI units to optimize its missions through military war operations (OMP) and military operations other than war (OMSP), he stressed. 

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