WHO WANT TO BE A SOS&ACSC CANDIDATES...??

Maj. Dolly JP. Hutagalung - IDAF

SOS is the abbreviation for Squadron Officer School, it is a special course where every officer with Captain rank is compulsory joining du toe part of the Major rank requirement. And ACSC is the abbreviation for Air Command and Staff College, it is also a special course where every officer with a Major rank is compulsory joining du toe part of the Lieutenant Colonel rank requirement; at least, those terms happened in the USAF and Indonesian Airforce (IDAF). On the other hand, every military in each country has its courses such as SOS and ACSC with different names and syllabi according to their perspective and objective. Special for this blog, allow me to share a little story about my experiences undergoing USAF SOS and also ACSC want a be, from a student recruitment perspective.

GLOBAL SECURITY STRATEGIC

Indonesia’s Role in Maintaining the Balance of Power

 in the South China Sea Conflict

ACSC Preparatory Course, Seminar 16

Each country has a global security strategy to achieve the national interest, even though sometimes it overlaps with the interests of other countries. Nations assert common political interests as independent communities and act as legitimate agents in international affairs.[i] This condition happened to the People of the Republic of China (PRC) when expanding its influence in the South China Sea (SCS) area. How are Indonesia’s actions in preventing the potential conflict in the SCS? Indonesia is the biggest country in Southeast Asia, and some territories are next to the SCS territory. Moreover, Indonesia is one of the founding members of ASEAN, a notable multilateral organization in Southeast Asia. Based on the two facts, Indonesia has an essential role in global security, especially in the SCS conflict.

Global security involves a country's ability y to minimize external threats and maintain sovereignty.[ii] It becomes more critical when some countries in the same region have a different view that threatens the sovereignty of others, like in the SCS. Indonesia should take a role as a balancing power in the SCS conflict. Firstly, Indonesia used diplomacy power to respond to the PRC directly; on the other hand, it utilized multinational organizations’ influence to put more pressure on the PRC. Secondly, Indonesia used military power to give a deterrent effect and executed defense strategic cooperation with other countries. Furthermore, both the power of diplomacy and the military should have short and long-term planning. With the simultaneous implementation of two instruments of power, Indonesia can reduce the PRC's domination in the SCS and make the situation more stable.

SUPREME COMMAND

Indonesian Civil and Military Relationships

How Should We Deal with It?

ASCSC Preparatory Course, Seminar 16

Can we really avoid civil and military relationships (CMR) within the country? CMR has always become one of the exciting topics in intellectual society. We can find it in most war world history in every country, even in Indonesia’s history. According to Cohen’s thesis about CMR in wartime, the military has an indispensable dependency on civilian control, which validates that civilians have the upper hand over the military[i]. Civilians and the military have a special relationship that cannot be separated during peace and wartime. The thesis applied in Indonesia’s CMR from the past to the present, with different applications and impacts.

As a nation, we must regulate the CMR within state management clearly. We can start by referring to the CMR within Indonesian history; there was a time when statesmen used the power of the military for political will. Then, continuing with the civil supremacy during Reformation Era when the abrupt reduction of military power in state administration. Furthermore, we can draw a line into the current CMR in Indonesia and how the application is. By examining these three periods, it is clear that Cohen’s statesman model can help Indonesia’s military becomes more effective and helps the government carry out its duties.