News and Analysis, 18 November 2006, Russian Arms Deal

According to a press report on Xinhua, People’s Daily Online, dated 17 November, Indonesia agreed to purchase upwards of one billion US dollars worth of military hardware from Russia. The purchase included nine new helicopters (four cargo and five attack), two submarines, and six jets. (Comment – The Indonesian armed forces learned a important lesson when the United States cutoff arms sales, including spare parts, in an effort to punish Indonesia as a result of events in East Timor in the late 1990’s. This lesson was not to overly rely on a single source of supply for its defense needs. Even with the lifting of US military-to-military restrictions in 2005, Indonesia will continue to seek to diversify its weapons systems inventory.) [slr]