Civilian Control and Defense Policy in Indonesia’s Nascent Democracy

Abstract

From 1999 to 2004, democratization and the military reform agenda in Indonesia had significantly curbed the military’s long-standing socio-political role and established full civilian control in the political arena. Nevertheless, civilian authority in the national defense sector remains imperfect. The military has been able to isolate the formulation and implementation of defense and military policy from civilian influence by taking advantage of vague regulation and their dominance over the defense bureaucracy. This chapter explains how limited civilian control in the defense sector affects government efforts to develop military effectiveness in Indonesia’s nascent democracy. In order to do so, military effectiveness is treated as a process of military change towards an effective force. The chapter argues that the more restricted civilian authority is in the defense sector, the lower will be the potential for changes in defense and military policy. To test the argument, the chapter analyzes strategic planning, the institutional set-up, and budget allocation for the Indonesian defense sector from 2010 to 2014, paying particular attention to the ambitious Minimum Essential Force (MEF) policy under President Yudhoyono. The analysis shows little significant policy change and, more importantly, evidence of the military’s continued ability to suspend civilian directives in the defense sector. Consequently, limited civilian control in defense and military affairs has seriously undermined military effectiveness.