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View all search resultsIndonesia should have led SE Asia submarine diplomacy
Indonesia was the pioneer in submarine operations in Southeast Asia by acquiring two submarines in 1959, the first among countries in the region.
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Ceremonial breach: Indonesian Navy submarine Cakra-401 resurfaces in Jakarta Bay on Sept. 10, 2024, during an event to mark the 79th anniversary of the Navy. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
F
ormer deputy chief of staff of the Indonesian Navy Vice Adm. (ret) Achmad Taufiqurrahan regrets the fact that Indonesia is not involved in the Submarine Emergency Escape and Rescue (SMER) agreement between Malaysia and Singapore.
Taufiqurrahman said Indonesia should have taken the role as a leader or initiator of regional cooperation, considering its seniority and experience in operating submarines in Southeast Asia.
He said that Indonesia first operated submarines in the 1960s with 12 units of Soviet Union-made Whiskey-class diesel-electric attack submarines.
“Those countries have just recently acquired submarines, Indonesia has possessed submarines since the 1960s,” he told The Jakarta Post through a video call from Batam, Riau Islands, on Thursday.
Taufiqurrahman, who served as deputy chief of staff in 2017-2018, highlighted the importance of cooperation in submarine rescue because it is related to humanity and regional interoperability issues.
Read also: Indonesia buys two submarines from France
Instead of creating a new forum, he said that Indonesia should have developed the existing cooperation with Singapore and extended it by inviting other countries, such as Malaysia.
