Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A military analyst on Wednesday welcomed the army's decision to establish new brigades and military commands, saying the move was part of modernization efforts.

Andi Widjajanto of the University of Indonesia also said that the Armed Forces had made plans to form a number of new brigades under military commands across the country until 2029.

He argued that the army's current structure, in which battalions are placed directly under military commands, does not fit with modern military theory, which requires the existence of brigades and divisions for the order of battle.

"The current structures have been heavily influenced by elements of past military operations, which were aimed at suppressing internal threats. So the establishment of new brigades and military commands means that they want to become a normal military with a normal order of battle," he said.

Newly installed Army Chief Lt. Gen. George Toisutta introduced three new infantry brigades on Tuesday as part of the government's defense strategy.

The 21 Komodo Infantry Brigade falls under the Denpasar-based Udayana military command, which oversees security in Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara provinces. The 22 Ota Manasa Infantry Brigade is under the First Division of the Army's Strategic Command in Depok, West Java, and the 24 Bulungan Cakti Infantry Brigade under the Balikpapan-based Tanjungpura military command in East Kalimantan. Each brigade consists of between 300 and 1,000 soldiers.

The Army had earlier announced that it planned to establish a military command in West Kalimantan in 2010, while a study for one in Papua is expected to begin next year.

Andi said the effect of the changes was that the Indonesian military now possessed a structure similar to that of modern forces.

It also meant, he said, that the Army would focus on defending the country against external rather than internal threats. He forecast that the 21 Komodo Infantry Brigade and the 24 Bulungan Cakti Infantry Brigade would mainly be deployed to secure border areas near their headquarters.