Indonesia once reached the peak of its military power in the 1960s, during President Sukarno’s era. Known as the period of global firepower 1960 Indonesia, Indonesia’s armed forces were regarded as one of the strongest in the world.
At this point, Indonesia military rank 1960 was among the highest, making the country recognized internationally as having the world’s best special force. But how did Indonesia reach such a triumphant position?
Indonesia’s Military Rise
Under Sukarno’s leadership, Indonesia’s military strength grew rapidly and was supported by the Soviet Union. This cooperation brought Indonesia advanced naval and air technologies, which far surpassed the Dutch and even concerned the United States.
It marked the golden age of global firepower 1960 Indonesia, where the nation stood among the world’s most formidable forces.
Papua Conflict and Trikora
However, in the other part of Indonesia, the Dutch were still entrenched in Papua (West Irian at that time). Knowing the military power Indonesia had, backed by Western allies, the Dutch intended to establish a puppet state. It let Papua be seemingly independent, but still allowed the Dutch to rule it.
Responding to this, Sukarno issued Tri Komando Rakyat (Trikora), with three missions:
- To prevent the Netherlands from establishing a puppet state in Papua.
- To raise the Indonesian bicolour flag (the Red-and-White flag) in Papua.
- To prepare for a general mobilization, including Papua, to maintain independence and unity throughout the country.
This move solidified Indonesia’s readiness to reclaim Papua, supported by the country’s rising Indonesia military rank 1960.
Soviet Military Support
With strong ties to the Soviet Union, Indonesia received $2.5 billion worth of naval and air military support. This made Indonesia one of the most heavily armed nations at the time
KRI Irian: Indonesia’s Giant Warship
The Soviet Union supported Indonesia by providing one of the largest warships in the world, the KRI Irian. This warship is the fastest man-made Soviet Sverdlov class that has 16,640 tons weight and was equipped by a giant cannon 12 caliber 6 inches. This giant warship could accommodate 1270 crew, which also includes 60 officers.
Not only on the sea, KRI Irian also had a strong anti-air attack defense. It was equipped with three 20mm Mk5 4-bis gun turrets and 32 3.7cm multi-purpose guns. It also has a 100mm thick armor belt, which allows the ship to stay strong, even against the best Dutch warships, like the Hr. Ms. Evertsen.
KRI Irian was one of the most dangerous main ships in the world. The strength of KRI Irian could be proportionally juxtaposed with America’s best fighter ships, such as the USS Iowa, USS Wisconsin, and USS Missouri. Interestingly, the Soviet Union just gave a ship with this level of strength to Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Air Force
Indonesia’s air force was also one of the main fleets and one of the deadliest air forces in the world, comprising over 100 fighter aircraft at the time. It includes 20 fighter supersonic MiG-21 Fishbed, 30 aircraft MiG-15, 49 fighter high-subsonic MiG-17, and 10 supersonic MiG-19.
The MiG-21 Fishbed was one of the most advanced supersonic aircraft in the world. It was capable of reaching speeds of Mach 2 or twice the speed of sound. If we compare to America’s, at that time, the MiG-21 Fishbed was better than the most sophisticated American Aircraft, the F-104 Starfighter and F-5 Tiger. Additionally, the MiG-21 Fishbed was also better than the P-51 Mustang, which was used by the Dutch planes from World War II.
History also recorded the strength of the aircraft MiG-21 and MiG-17 during the Vietnam War. By using these aircraft, North Vietnam, which was backed by the Soviet Union, successfully defeated South Vietnam, which was backed by America. This pushed America to establish the elite training center for naval aviators known as TOP GUN.
Moreover, Indonesia also had a fleet of 26 long-range strategic bombers, Tupolev Tu-16 (Badger A and B). The headquarters was located at the Air Force Base Iswahyudi, Surabaya. This made Indonesia one of four countries that had strategic bombers, along with the United States, Russia, and England.
Tupolev Tu-16 was equipped with various sophisticated electronic equipment and special anti-missile warships Kennel AS-1. This allows it to sink the ships of Western combat.
Indonesia also possessed 12 Whiskey-class submarines, dozens of Corvette-class battleships, 9 of the world's largest helicopter MI-6, MI-41 helicopter 4, various aircraft carriers, including heavy transport aircraft Antonov An-12B. In total, Indonesia possessed 104 units of combat ships.
This impressive arsenal positioned Indonesia as a global power, reaffirming its reputation as the world’s best special force during the 1960s.
Global Impact
By possessing all of those forces, Indonesia became one of the strongest sea and air military forces in the world. As a result, the United States, under the leadership of John F. Kennedy pushed the Dutch to get out of Papua. Eventually, they stated in the UN forum that the transition of power from the Netherlands to Indonesia in Papua was something that could be accepted.
The global firepower 1960 Indonesia story reflects one of the brightest chapters in the nation’s history. This golden era played a crucial role in securing Indonesia’s sovereignty, especially in reclaiming Papua.
