Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has expressed optimism that Indonesia would have a strong national defense industry in future.

The national defense industry is currently able to produce propellants used in bullet and rocket propulsion, he stated at a hearing with the House of Representatives’ (DPR’s) Commission I in Jakarta on Monday.

"I thank God that we have been able to produce propellants, raw material used to produce bullets and rockets, domestically. I am optimistic that in the years to come, we would have a strong defense industry," he noted.

Prabowo pointed out that state firms engaged in the defense industry, including weapons manufacturer PT Pindad, shipbuilder PT PAL, and aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia, were able to export their products.

He stated that the Defense Ministry is seeking to create strong and professional state defense and security, and that the National Defense Forces (TNI) will be reckoned at a regional level. "In December 2019, we will complete software products and revise and update the state defense and security strategy and doctrine and unveil them to the relevant institutes and the president responsible for state defense and security," he remarked.

He planned to hold a meeting of leaders in the defense field from all stakeholders to discuss the state defense and security doctrine.

Vice Defense Minister Wahyu Trenggono was also present at the meeting led by Chief of DPR Commission I Meutya Hafid. (ANTARA)

The Greater Jakarta line of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) will become fully operational in June 2021, Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan reaffirmed in Jakarta, Monday.

"Our target (for LRT's completion) remains in June or July 2021," the minister stated at a ceremony of the final casting of the Kuningan long span arch bridge in Jakarta.

The arch bridge, part of LRT's Cawang-Dukuh Atas section, was called as the world's longest curved concrete bridge structure, with length reaching 148 meters.

For the last months in this year, the Transportation Ministry and the operator city-owned LRT Jakarta launched trials for LRT's operation by utilizing sets of carriages manufactured by state-owned PT INKA.

"The trial run will be launched for the next six to seven months," Pandjaitan stated.

The work to construct LRT's Greater Jakarta line had reached 67.3 percent completion, the state-owned PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk, the main contractor, stated.

In addition, work on the Cawang-Cibubur section had reached 86.2 percent completion, while progress in the construction of Cawang-Dukuh Atas section had reached 53.8 percent, the contractor's president director, Budi Harto, explained.

He stated that work to construct the Cawang-Bekasi section had reached 60.5 percent completion.

"We have conducted a dynamic test for LRT's Cawang-Cibubur section, and the train has been back and forth, as we test its speed," Harto remarked. (ANTARA)

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) launched expedition Indonesia PRIMA to the Indian Ocean for Nov 12-Dec 10, 2019, to further explore the less-identifiable depth of 70,560,000-square-kilometer waters, chairwoman Dwikorita Karnawati stated in Jakarta, Monday.

"We still have several mysteries, black holes in the Indian Ocean," she remarked while adding that the expedition aimed at gaining a better understanding of the air-sea interaction in the Indian Ocean, mainly by utilizing a sonar-based multibeam echo sounder (MBS) tracking system.

Karnawati expounded that the device will facilitate researchers to study the Indian Ocean's bathymetry or the underwater profile in the seafloor. As a key factor of biological oceanography, the results of bathymetric surveys will enable researchers to measure the depth of a water body along with its underwater features.

The depth and seafloor's characteristics will further reveal information, one of which includes organisms inhabiting the seabed of the Indian Ocean.

The Indonesia PRIMA expedition, an abbreviation of the Indonesia Program Initiative on Maritime Observation and Analysis, was a multi-year program established by Indonesia's BMKG and the Maryland-based the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an American scientific agency under the United States Department of Commerce.

In addition to conducting research on Indian Ocean’s bathymetry, the expedition team was tasked with renewing some buoys or moorings in the waters. Buoy is a multi-purpose floating device that measures an entire range of weather variables, including wind speed, direction, and air and water temperature, as well as detects and launches an early warning system of tsunami.

The expedition team, comprising two NOAA marine experts, 12 BMKG researchers, three scholars, and four experts of the Assessment and Application of Technology Agency, will sail with a research vessel KR Baruna Jaya I for at least a month. (ANTARA)

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi opened a photo exhibition and archive of the 60th Anniversary of Indonesia's First President Sukarno's Visit to Vietnam and the Visit of the President of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, to Indonesia, at the National Archives Building, Friday (08/11). In her remarks Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the meeting of the two countries’ founding fathers had a strategic meaning. According to her, building a strong and sustainable friendship is a long investment and requires a strong foundation. Furthermore, the visit of the two founders of the country has a monumental meaning.

“This morning we gather here to celebrate friendship. Strong bond of friendship that is built and developed since more than 60 years ago. Building a strong and sustainable friendship is a long investment. Friendship could not be built overnight. Within this context, the friendship between our two founding fathers, President Soekarno of Indonesia and President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam has a very strategic meaning. The exchange visit between our two leaders 60 years ago has a monumental meaning. It laid the foundation to the strong bond and friendship between the two countries. It goes until now,” said Retno Marsudi.

Attending the opening of the photo and archive exhibition was the 60th Anniversary of the First Visit of Indonesian President Soekarno to Vietnam and the Visit of the President of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, to Indonesia, were Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Cabinet Secretary Minister Pramono Anung, Deputy Chairman of the MPR Ahmad Basarah, Ambassador of Vietnam for Indonesia Pham Vinh Quang, as well as a number of ambassadors from friendly countries. (VOI / AHM)