US to Sell Indonesia 8 Apache Gunship Helicopters
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US to Sell Indonesia 8 Apache Helicopters
September 21, 2012
A US AH-64 Apache helicopter fires missiles during a live fire gunnery exercise with the South Korean army at the US army's Rodriguez range in Pocheon on April 15, 2010. The United States said on Thursday it will sell Indonesia eight Apache helicopters to strengthen security ties with the largest country in Southeast Asia and the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. (Reuters Photo/Jo Yong Hak)
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545671bluediamond4:06pm Sep 24, 2012No string attached? Do you forgot what happened in 1965?
maspanji11:40am Sep 23, 2012In 60s TNI was the strongest in the southern hemisphere courtesy of the Russian, they furnished it with strategic bomber squadrons, advanced figter jets, long range naval bombers squadrons, heavy naval cruiser and destroyers, submarine squadron, advanced air defense batteries and mechanized the army, all of which was advanced weaponry for its time with no string attached and why entertain this meager counter offer?.
maspanji11:28am Sep 23, 2012I hope there is no strings attached and this is a counter offer to blunt Russian military hardware preferred by TNI after being humiliated by Clinton during the F 16 affair and the government should rely on domestic defense industries instead, only idiots thinks this hardwares will be used against its people by TNI, the Russian trust TNI with more of its advance weaponry than the most anglophonic countries.
bluediamond10:18am Sep 23, 2012Thesplodge, Syria is led by a dictator, while indonesia is democratic since 1998. For example, Indonesian govt gives more freedom of speech to its people compared to neighbours such as singapore and malaysia (where penalty for bad mouthing the govt exists).
Even suharto in 1998 did not send troops against protesters (only riot police, with rubber bullet and tear gas, still, some protesters are killed).
Papuans is indonesian, there's no legal difference, they're the same as javanese, batak, bugis, etc.. The problem is looming corruption in that province. Our next president should do a lot more to develop papua, then the OPM situation would dissapear by itself.
TheSplodge2:47pm Sep 22, 2012@bluediamond
I would respectfully suggest you watch the news on Syria to see how far a govt will go against its own citizens. And does Indonesia think that Papuans are even Indonesian? I'm not too sure.
Washington. The United States said on Thursday it will sell Indonesia eight AH-64/D Apache helicopters to strengthen security ties with the largest country in Southeast Asia and the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking during a meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in Washington, said Congress had been notified of the intent to sell the aircraft.
“This agreement will strengthen our comprehensive partnership and help enhance security across the region,” Clinton said.
President Barack Obama’s administration has sought to buttress defense ties with Indonesia as it refocuses its attention toward the Asia-Pacific following long years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The United States has stepped up military cooperation with traditional allies such as the Philippines and Australia, and joined regional efforts to press China to accept a multilateral framework for solving flaring territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Clinton did not reveal an estimated cost for the Apache deal, which Indonesian media have reported has been in the works for months. The attack helicopters, used by militaries around the world, are made by Boeing.
The United States last year announced it was giving Indonesia two dozen second-hand F-16 fighter planes, with Jakarta covering the estimated $750 million needed to refurbish the late-model fighters and overhaul their engines.
US officials say the delivery of US hardware will improve cooperation and information-sharing between the US and Indonesian militaries as they face common security threats.
The announcement of the helicopter sale came as Clinton and Natalegawa wound up the third regular US-Indonesia joint commission meeting, with both saying that ties between the two countries had grown stronger.
Clinton, who visited Indonesia this month as part of an Asia-Pacific tour, said trade topped $26 billion last year and that the United States would invest $600 million over the next five years in Indonesian clean energy development, child health and nutrition programs and government transparency initiatives under its Millennium Challenge aid program.
Indonesia has been among the nations hit by violent anti-American protests over the past week to protest against a US-made video seen as critical of Islam.
Clinton said that the United States had decided to temporarily close its diplomatic facilities in the country on Friday in case further protests erupt. But she praised Jakarta for its response to the crisis.
“We are very grateful for not only the cooperation and the protection that has been provided to our facilities, but also for the strong statements condemning violence,” Clinton said.
Reuters