ESTABLISHING TNI RESEARCH INSTITUTE:
NATIONAL DEFENCE AND GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY PERSPECTIVES
By:
BG Soroy Lardo, MD, Internist, FINASIM, PhD,
Infectious Diseases Consultant, CIQnR, CIQaR
Director of Research and Development
Indonesia Army Central Hospital of Gatot Soebroto
TNI has been concerned about establishing research institute for better education and research. The scope developed includes military technology research and other fields supporting the development goals of TNI such as military medicine. Current research undertaken in the TNI internal Research and Development (R&D) institutions has produced remarkable outputs, resulting in national and international publications. However, this endeavour needs to be extended more broadly to create an integrated network for research collaboration purposes. Integrated networking is especially crucial for TNI if it intends to advance its research capabilities.
Just like a general research process, TNI research aims at creating innovation from military systems and doctrines becoming a basic reference for innovation activities as state servants. The concept of innovation serves as scientific-based thinking and management of military resource to construct a futuristic vision of aggrandizing the ability of TNI as the user of power and guardian for national defence.
The TNI’s integrated research platform for field applications combines the potential and capabilities of military technology and other elements supporting it. Through collaboration with civilian research institutions, TNI research can become one of the spearheads for building national research potential. In the future, this will turn into a new spirit to stimulate TNI research that is required to be involved in national research policy.
The Extensive Platform
From the historical account, TNI research was conducted based on the organization and structure of the TNI using forces to protect the country’s sovereignty, foster territoriality and participate in world peace. In the guerrilla struggle, TNI became one of the pillars for the nation to gain independence. The concept of universal war and guerrilla warfare involving communities was the application of TNI research. At the struggle period, there might not be a rigorous research methodology to guide and measure the efficacy of guerrilla warfare. However, the output that was built indicated that the TNI’s struggle became a pivotal foundation for the proclamation of Indonesian independence. Such guerrilla warfare concept is further documented by General Abdul Harris Nasution.
The territorial development of the TNI during the New Order Era through “ABRI Manunggal” – TNI unifies with the civilians for development purposes, primarily serves as a keynote for the development of research in the military field. In addition, territorial social services, as a breakthrough program, have assisted isolated, marginal, and underdeveloped regions by developing the socio-economic of the community. This reality proves that TNI has built scientific axiology based on field applications. Furthermore, involving in world peace through the representation of “Garuda Kontingen” embodies the active role of TNI through the development and tasks of its organization with a multidisciplinary scientific structure. Such achievement depicts that TNI has a structured system and methodology of work targets to which it is aimed.
The key issues expounded above show that TNI research is overly broad – from downstream to upstream. The upstream level research encompasses the concept of TNI activity policy to update the military technology development as an innovation to aggrandize the ability of defence force function. On the other hand, the downstream level research includes empowering TNI resources and other supporting elements to optimize the function of military operations (OMP) and non-war military operations (OMSP), including disaster management. It is expected that the axiological research can be developed based on an epistemological approach as the basis for the next TNI activities.
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