Can anybody tell me about the military capabilities of the 4th most populous nation on the planet? How is their standard of living. I know that they are strong in the resources department, though I don't have any particulars as to how strong. Seems to me that they have tremendous potential. What are everyone's thoughts?

They will have to start getting along better than maybe they will be able to become a power, the main problem is the fact that they are part islands wich makes ruling them kinda hard. However where thier is a population who supports the government then thier is a chance to become a world power.


I believe they have some western technology....not sure though.

How strong are they militarily? Seems like Indonesia would have high priority on Navy, but I haven't turned up much in the way of sources.

I may be able to pull something up....Let me try something.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...sia/index.html
A lot of the information here though is from 1992.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...es/1260544.stm
indonesias profile - looks a pretty unstable country.

The Indonesian military isn't much to shout about. I lived there for a while. Their Marines seem pretty decent but for the kind of maritime country they are, the navy seems a bit of a joke. Their Air Force isn't very good, but they do have some F-16s.
Their army in general is poorly trained and lacks discipline.
Militarily they're not much.

They have numbers on the ground but I think there skills have much to be desired. There equipment is reasonable but I am no expert on this.

Australia has always been nervous about them.

We are working with them better on security matters since the Bali bombing. The new leadership seems more open and willing to work with Australia.

Their special forces (Kompasas?) will be working more closely again with our military in to the future.

The Indonesia Elite forces are Kopasas.
Australia's main worry about Indonesia's military is not that they're good at what they do, but that they're bad at what they do. If Indonesia's military was competent and professional, it would actually be one less thing for Australia to worry about. Problems usually come around because they're unable to handle their own situation or handle their situation in a very messy manner and in turn risk having the conflict spill over to Australia.
Indonesian equipment, except the Navy, is okay.

Thanks for that 13th redneck. Kopasas (must remember the spelling )

Yep, it is always a worry who has control of the Indonesian Forces. The country is so fragmented and ethnically complex.

Apart form Timor, there activities in Irian Jiya (West Papua) have been a worry with regards to Australian interests.

Irian Jaya.. gotta love it.
Independence movement, eco-activists, greedy corporation, corrupt government... only reason there's no James Bond film on it is probably because the local women aren't exactly the envy of the world.
Aussiejohn: look up Koteka. LOL
I still remember the East Timor incident... the UN were so slow that Australia surprised everyone by announcing it would go it alone if the UN kept dragging their asses.
I met lots of Australians while living in Indonesia and had a few games of Rugby with them as well. I played Ozzie Rules long ago but I can't quite remember how to play it anymore.
Having said that... it's Australia's most important back yard so I'm glad you're interested in Indonesia.