Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Army's plan to establish a third infantry division in Papua is necessary and feasible, as long as the proposal is first approved by the Defense Ministry, a legislator and an analyst said Saturday.

Legislator Yuddhy Chrisnandy of the House of Representatives' Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs said the Indonesian Military needed to expand its forces, especially in border and conflict-prone areas, like Papua.

"It is necessary for the Indonesian Military to have more troops, considering that the number of its personnel is still low compared to the country's population," Yuddhy said.

"Ideally, the military should have about 600,000 active personnel to guard the country, which has 220 million people. Currently, it only deploys around 325,000 personnel from the military's three forces."

"Besides, Papua is prone to conflict and separatism. So, we need to build a stronger defense system by expanding our forces for the sake of sovereignty."

The Army has proposed establishing a third infantry division from the Strategic Reserves Command, or Kostrad, to patrol Papua border areas. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso has said the plan was first suggested in the early 1980s, but was never realized due to budget constraints.

The Army expects to establish the third division by 2014 after securing financial support from the government. Currently, Kostrad has two infantry divisions – in Cilodong, West Java, and in Malang, East Java – and an infantry brigade.

Yuddhy said, "It is suitable to add infantry troops since it will require less of a budget than to have more artillery or cavalry."

He said the House would have no problem with the Army's plan as long as it was approved by the Defense Ministry and the ministry allotted the necessary budget to fund the expansion. "But the ministry should first discuss it with the House."

Military analyst J. Kristiadi from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has a similar view, saying the Army's plan was a political decision that needs the approval of the Defense Ministry.

"It all depends on the ministry, as the decision-maker, whether to go ahead with the plan or not. The military is just the executor," he told The Jakarta Post.

He said any expansion of military forces had to take into consideration the country's geographical conditions and threats to the defense system.