JakartaPost/Antara-Sept 4
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has received an order from outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for the formation of a fourth armed service, dubbed a cyber force, to deal with cyber threats, but discussions at the legislature are projected to resume only after the new administration assumes office. “I have received the order from the President to form the TNI cyber force,” said TNI commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto on Tuesday. Discussions in the TNI on the details of the new cyber force were still ongoing, Agus said, but plans were already forming around equipping each of the existing three armed services, the Army, Navy and Air Force, with a cyber unit. With expertise in the information and technology sector prioritized, a big chunk of the manpower for the cyber unit will most likely be professional civilians. While it was imperative that Indonesia improve its cybersecurity following a string of cyberattacks that hit state institutions, the formation of the TNI cyber force would require discussions with the House of Representatives that could not be rushed, a lawmaker said. Dave Laksono of House Commission I overseeing defense, information and intelligence revealed that internal discussions among lawmakers had already begun on the formation of the cyber force as the fourth branch of the military. He said the commission had also held meetings with the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) on the matter. Dave did not elaborate on whether the formation of the fourth military service would mean revising the TNI Law and the Constitution, but the prevailing legislation clearly stipulates the military comprises the three existing armed services only. Last year, amid the rising number of data breaches and digital attacks, the head of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) and a former intelligence chief mulled a similar idea suggesting the formation of a TNI cyber force, sparking fears that it could be wielded as a tool for state repression. Activists and experts said that an increased military capability in the digital space would curb civil liberties and privacy. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2024/09/04/tni-ordered-to-create-cyber-force.html.
