John F. Bradford - The Indonesian Military as a Professional Organization: Criteria and Ramifications for Reform

As parallel and co-dependent entities, Indonesia's civil government and military (TNI) defy many of the most basic precepts of conventional civil-military relations theory. By analyzing the unique Indonesian relationship between these two entities, this essay supplements conventional theory. Judging the TNI against three criteria-responsibility, expertise, and corporatenesshttp://www.hawaii.edu/cseas/pubs/explore/bradford.html (1 of 18)7/17/2008 9:56:02 AM John F. Bradford The Indonesian Military as a Professional Organization: Criteria and Ramifications for Reform reveals a potent, fiercely independent institution with a powerful sense of duty. However, TNI capabilities are undermined by a lack of expertise, a factionalized corporate body, and a membership which pursues excessive self-interest. Such analysis confirms that for democracy to thrive in Indonesia the TNI must "professionalize," but reform must be accompanied by the strengthening of civil institutions' abilities to both provide for the nation and protect the TNI's material and ideological interests.