Building consensus on priorities in national security sector development in Indonesia

Indonesian MoD Secretary General Air Marshall Eris Herryanto (left) and U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel open the workshop.

The Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies together with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and the Indonesian Defense University co-hosted a Security Sector Development Workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia Sept. 11-12 with the theme of “Building Consensus on Priorities in National Security Sector Development in Indonesia.”

U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel was in attendance as Indonesian MoD Secretary General Air Marshall Eris Herryanto opened the workshop. In his remarks, the Secretary General explained that the workshop will not only enhance the understanding on national security, especially on the comprehensive management system in the context of democracy country, but also function to increase the readiness to overcome threats Indonesia is currently facing.

According to workshop academic lead, Dr. Bill Wieninger, “This workshop was a continuation of the APCSS Security Sector Development (SSD) program which aims to strengthen the security sectors of the U.S. and our friends and partners in the region.  The workshop brought together approximately 40 high-level security practitioners from a ‘whole of society’ perspective, including several agencies which don’t often get the opportunity to collaborate, for two days of discussions to enhance coordination and cooperation in addressing Indonesia’s security challenges.”

Workshop participants came from government bodies such as the Ministry of Defense, the Indonesian National Police, the Indonesian Military Headquarters , Parliament, the National Resilience Council, the Indonesian Defense University, and the Foreign Ministry, as well non-governmental groups such as Lesperssi, Propatria, and the University of Indonesia.

Senior speakers from various agencies in Indonesia addressed the participants in plenary sessions, and then the participants split up into groups to answer difficult questions designed to promote interagency dialogue and consensus on priority actions for Indonesia to take in enhancing its security sector.

“This workshop was a very worthwhile endeavor for APCSS, said APCSS Director Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Dan Leaf.  “The Indonesian Defense Ministry and Indonesian Defense University were excellent partners who demonstrated an outstanding whole-of-society approach through a breadth of participation far beyond what we had in previous workshops.  This ensured that a great deal was accomplished in a relatively short time.”

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