With China becoming a growing maritime threat and its submarine fleet in need of refurbishment, Indonesia is now stepping up investment in military equipment to better protect its maritime territories.
Jakarta is seeking to ramp up its fleet of corvettes and has deployed five submarines, but lost one, the KRI Naggala-402, in response to repeated Chinese incursions over its waters.
Though Indonesia ranks third in the world with the area of waters that fall under its exclusive economic zone, the size of its submarine fleet falls behind countries like Japan, which ranks sixth with 20 vessels.
This comes after the Indonesian submarine that went missing off Bali with 53 crew members on board sunk last month, killing all crewmen.
Critics have slammed the government for sending out the 44-year-old submarine on drills.
The Navy said the German-made vessel was "ready for battle", according to the DW News Agency.
After the accident, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto indicated that the country will step up investment in military equipment and is pursuing a joint production agreement with South Korea.
Meanwhile, France, Russia and Turkey have offered to export the vessels, reported Nikkei Asia.
The accident has fueled a sense of urgency in the country about the state of its submarine fleet.
China's 'nine-dash' line intersects a portion of Indonesia's EEZ around the Natuna Islands, which is operated by Chinese fishing boats and Beijing has also deployed its coast guard ships.
After China authorized its ship to use firepower, Jakarta is bracing for a possible increase in activity in the area.
Indonesia has been working with South Korea on submarines in recent years and is pursuing technical cooperation with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, reported Nikkei.
When Indonesia imports defense kit, it asks for technology transfers to boost its own technical abilities and to secure jobs.
Though South Korea has offered favorable terms with its prices, the Indonesian side has not been satisfied with the capabilities of these vessels, citing power supply problems connected to batteries, among other problems.
The ill-fated submarine that sank was also completely refurbished in South Korea in 2012.
Submarines from Japan would be more state-of-the-art, being much quieter and offering more time of operation underwater.
However, their prices are higher and technology transfer conditions would be much more sensitive.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
Beijing's rising assertiveness against counter claimants in the East and South Sea has resulted in unprecedented agreement across the Indo-Pacific.
Tags: #Indonesia, #submarines, #militaryequipment, #China, #geopolitics, #SouthChinaSea