TNI Plans to Form Special Unit to Handle Biological Warfare

TNI Angkatan Darat membangun satuan Nuklir Biologi Kimia (nubika). [Foto: Pusziad] ★

In a Youtube podcast from the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said that the COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder for the military to anticipate future bioweapons and noted that they will focus on how to counter future attacks.

“We are aware that the threat of the pandemic has awakened us to the importance of having a special counter-biowarfare unit,” said Hadi on Sunday, November 8.

The TNI commander said the only existing unit within the military that is able to at least face that threat lies in the Army’s (TNI AD) ‘Nubika company’ specializing in nuclear, biology, and chemical aspects. He said this type of military unit could possibly be broadened to either TNI’s Navy (TNI AL) or Air Force (TNI AU).

“We have thought about that and how to handle a situation where the COVID-19 pandemic massively attacks our soldiers in the field,” said Commander Hadi. There is currently a hospital located in Batam’s Galang Island that is able to treat soldiers infected by viral infections.

Previously reported, the Commander also revealed that the military will soon build a laboratory for the specific use of researching viruses that is planned to be established over the Galang Island in Batam.

 Plan to Build a Virus Research Lab 
[Dispen TNI AD] ★

The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto revealed that the military will soon build a laboratory for the specific use of researching viruses that is planned to be established over the Galang Island in Batam.

“In the future, we will also propose to be able to have one BSL level 3 or level 4 laboratory to research about viruses that can be used for future soldiers’ vaccination programs,” said Hadi Tjahjanto in a Youtube podcast from the TNI’s official account on Sunday, November 8.

According to the TNI commander, the virus research lab that is in the TNI’s phase 4 strategic plan, had chosen Galang Island as a special infection hospital already exists at the location that is able to treat soldiers.

“We need to be close to the BSL 3 or BSL 4 to be able to breed the diseases into a vaccine that is readily available for vaccination,” he noted in the podcast.

However, he maintains that this plan remains to be a long term plan that will need careful planning involving a number of experts.

The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) currently already has the Nubika company that oversees nuclear, biology, and chemical issues but maintains that a future virus research lab will help strengthen this special unit and future pandemics.

  ♞ Tempo