Jakarta, Oct. 16 -- Deputy Defense Minister Yusuf Jauhari said the government encourages the domestic defense industry to strengthen the Indonesian Military (TNI) while also driving the economy.

"We are encouraging the entire defense industry to contribute to strengthening our TNI, and the hope is that it is not only the TNI's strength, but also how the economy moves. Likewise with technology transfer and technology use," Jauhari said at the State Palace here on Thursday (October 15).

Therefore, he said, the government is preparing cooperation schemes so that it and industry can collaborate together for both national defense and non-defense interests.

When asked about the self-reliance of primary weapons systems and the defense industr...