{
  "id": 8180860,
  "title": "Prabowo: Indonesia Defense Budget Among Smallest in ASEAN",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/prabowo-indonesia-defense-budget-among-smallest-in-asean",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T05:22:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tempo.co English",
    "slug": "tempo-co-english",
    "url": "https://en.tempo.co/read/2119840/prabowo-indonesia-defense-budget-among-smallest-in-asean"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has stated that the country's defense budget is relatively small compared to neighboring Southeast Asian nations. Speaking on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, during the Presiden Menjawab program, Prabowo revealed that the national defense budget remains under two percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Despite an increase in recent years, the defense budget still falls short of the two percent threshold.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense budget for the fiscal year 2026 was allocated Rp187.1 trillion, and for 2027, it is set at Rp189 trillion. Prabowo explained that domestic defense spending has remained around 0.9 percent of GDP for several decades, contrasting this with Singapore, which dedicates over three percent of its GDP to defense.\n\nThe former defense minister under President Joko Widodo emphasized the importance of strengthening defense capabilities to establish a more robust national security architecture. He stressed that \"our defense and security system requires strong foundational defense elements\" due to Indonesia's vast territory and population, with 514 regencies that need equal protection. However, even if one battalion were assigned to each regency, over 360 regencies would still lack a dedicated TNI unit presence. This insufficient security coverage in certain regions hampers the monitoring and protection of natural resources, which are critical to Indonesia's economy, as Prabowo pointed out.",
  "summary": "Prabowo noted that Indonesia's defense spending has hovered around 0.9 percent of GDP for decades.",
  "key_points": [
    "Indonesia's defense budget is under 2% of GDP",
    "Prabowo says budget remains below two percent threshold",
    "Singapore dedicates over 3% of GDP to defense"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}