Indonesia's Defense Budget Increased by 155 Percent from 2010 to 2017

Between 2010 and 2017, the Indonesian Ministry of Defence's budget increased by 154.8 percent. The 2017 State Budget Draft allocated Rp 108 trillion (approximately US$7.6 billion at the time) to defense, representing an average annual increase of around 16.6 percent. Functionally, this defense budget was the largest compared to other ministries, although it actually decreased by approximately 0.7 percent compared to the 2016 Revised State Budget.

To strengthen national defense and maintain national unity and integrity, the government consistently strives to increase spending for the Ministry of Defence. Besides programs for improving the professionalism of soldiers, education, research and development, the defense budget is used to modernize major weapons systems (Alutsista) to prevent falling behind other nations.

Ironically, amidst the government's vigorous anti-corruption campaign, the military has been tarnished by corrupt officials. Tempo.co reported that the East Jakarta Military Court sentenced Brigadier General TNI Teddy Hernayadi to life imprisonment. Teddy was found guilty of corruption involving the procurement of military equipment between 2010 and 2014, amounting to US$ 12 million.