Army to recruit 350,000 personnel to safeguard RI territory

"The present number (of Army personnel) is far from enough compared to the vastness of the territory they have to safeguard," he said after installing Brig Gen Darpito as commander of the Army`s Territorial Center replacing Maj Gen Hotmangraja Pandjaitan here Monday.

Ideally, the number of Army personnel to safeguard the entire territory of this archipelagic nation was at least 0.4 percent or 800,000 of the total population, he said.

"Their number is now less than 300,000, including non servicemen," he said.

Therefore, under the Army`s development program until 2024, the number of Army personnel was expected to increase by 350,000, he said.