Dedi Dinarto for the Diplomat 

Scarce resources and inter-agency disputes have hamstrung the development of the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency.

In recent years, Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) has grown in prominence as a key actor in securing the country’s maritime interests in the Natuna Sea. However, Bakamla’s controversial acknowledgement as a maritime “coordinating body” (in the eyes of other maritime security agencies) and limited operational assets has put Indonesia’s so-called “coastguard” in an untenable position. Without clear political will from the central government to strengthen Bakamla’s operational capabilities and its institutional position, Bakamla will be hard-pressed to become a robust coastguard unit or contribute significantly to Indonesia’s Natuna Sea strategy.

Vice Adm. Aan Kurnia, the Bakamla chief, stated at the end of December that Bakamla’s priority program in 2022 will be to protect the North Natuna Sea area. More importantly, his institution has also planned to convene a meeting with maritime officials from five Southeast Asian countries (Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam) on Batam Island – a bastion of Indonesia’s defense establishment in addition to Natuna and Bintan in the Riau Archipelago – to address the ongoing conflict in the South China Sea.

Click here to read the full article at The Diplomat.

Dedi Dinarto

Dedi Dinarto is a Research Analyst with the Indonesia Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.