September 18, 2026 | 12:22 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto considers Indonesia's defense budget relatively modest compared to those of its Southeast Asian peers. According to him, national defense budget remains under two percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
"Our budget is among the smallest in ASEAN. Even though we have increased it, it is still less than 2 percent of our GDP," Prabowo said during the "Presiden Menjawab" (President Prabowo Answers) program aired on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The Ministry of Defense was allocated Rp187.1 trillion for fiscal year 2026. Looking ahead to 2027, the ministry's budget allocation is set at Rp189 trillion.
Prabowo explained that domestic defense spending has hovered at approximately 0.9 percent of GDP for several decades. He contrasted this with Singapore, noting that the city-state commits over three percent of its GDP to defense.
The former defense minister under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo stressed that bolstering defense capabilities is vital for establishing a more robust national security architecture. “So in my view, our defense and security system requires strong foundational defense elements,” he said.
Prabowo maintained that expanding the capabilities of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) is necessary to ensure defense and security reach every corner of the archipelago. “This is especially [critical] given our vast territory and population,” he added.
Therefore, military deployments must be evenly strengthened across regions to safeguard national sovereignty. “Our country is vast. We have 514 regencies, and these are expansive territories, not small districts,” Prabowo noted.
Even assuming one battalion per regency, the Head of State pointed out that more than 360 regencies still lack a dedicated TNI unit presence. Prabowo argued that limited security coverage in several regions undermines the monitoring and protection of natural resources. “Yet that is precisely where our natural wealth lies. That's why we have struggled for decades with illegal logging, illegal mining, and unauthorized plantations,” Prabowo said.
Read: Indonesia's Budget Deficit Hits Rp240.1 Trillion by August 2026
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