The Indonesian military has a new role in cybersecurity but, worryingly, no clear doctrine on what to do with it nor safeguards against human rights abuses. Assignment of cyber responsibility to the military is part of controversial amendments to the Armed Forces Law which the parliament passed in March and which significantly broadened the armed forces’ role in civilian governance. The government says these amendments are crucial for strengthening Indonesia’s capabilities in information operations, with the military playing a pivotal role in safeguarding national interests in cyberspace. Military officials have also said the military’s cyber capabilities will not be used to police digital spaces or restrict freedom of expression. They point to the establishment of the Singaporean armed forces’ cyber force in 2022 as a precedent and to cyber operations in the Russia-Ukraine war as developments the amendments aim to address.
Indonesia’s cyber soldiers: armed without a compass | The Strategist
