Defense minister urges efficient budget spending

Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono on Thursday urged caution over hastily spending budget increases for the Armed Forces and the police in 2010, Republika reported.

During a 2010 budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Sudarsono said budget increases should be mainly used for boosting the country’s defense and capabilities of security personnel.

Spending budget increases for the TNI and the police effectively will be a significant challenge, he said.

TNI is expected to mainly use the funds to upgrade and overhaul main weapons systems and purchase spare parts for existing armaments.

In the outlined 2010 budget, Rp40.7 trillion is allocated for the Defense Ministry and Rp25.8 trillion for the National Police.