Originally posted by epImetheus:
Idonesia is an archipelago. the country should improve its navy first before improving the army. what use is a huge army if it is stuck on its own land?
navy costs big $$ and resources, also takes time to grow. building a militia force may be cheaper stop gap solution. with so many islands easier way to safeguard them is to have military outposts everywhere with regional commands but soldiered by civilian militia. like during suharto time.
Plus considering China will be rolling out 1st of the 3 aircraft carrier in 2006 then again in 2008 and 2012, definately they will start enforcing their claims and exerting influence in south china and beyond.
Once they start doing it, they will start to contest overlapping claims and there will be many many of such claims. In most cases "Might means Right" settles the issue.
If you dun have outposts to check and control the populace in these outlying territory that may be part of the overlapping claims very easy for foreign power to come in and create trouble like inciting people to "revolt" or "independance referendum"(seeing how easy it already is to incite them) then in midst of disorder annex the place on pretext of "restoring order".