Opening Ceremony at Seskoal for Dikreg 55 | |
On 13 January 2017, Dikreg 55 commenced with 130 students, 8 of them being from overseas countries: Amerika Serikat, India, Pakistan, Korea Selatan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapura and Lieutenant Commander Ben Stock from Australia. Recently there have been many changes at Seskoal. Most of the previous graduates of the college would barely recognise the Seskoal now. The Yos Sudarso and Samadikun buildings have been totally renovated and there is currently major building works taking place whereby a new War Gaming centre will be built. The Staff College exchange program between Indonesia and Australia has been in place now for several decades. The exchange allows a free flow of information and ideas between officers of both navies. The program further builds upon the already recognised mutual goal of building person to person links. Selection for the "Pendidikan Reguler" each year is very competitive. Normally between 130 and 160 members of the TNI-AL of the rank of Major, are selected to attend the course. These local students are joined by up to 10 students from overseas. Prior to being selected, all students must undergo a series of tests including; psychological, academic and fitness. The chosen candidates initially compete with around 400 other candidates. Immediately following the opening ceremony, students are thrown straight into a hectic training program. The years training is broken up into 3 stages consisting of study in the following areas: Patriotism, Strategy, Management, Logistics, Operations Mass Communications and Nation Building aswell as Science and Technology. The course commences in early January and finishes in early November. One of the most challenging requirements of the college is the submission of a Taskup or thesis. This year, Dikreg 55 will be required to write a Taskup consisting of at least 100 pages. Students are given a range of different subjects from which they can choose. The writing of a Taskup must follow strict guidelines including getting approval from their Taskup advisor before they can continue writing. Students are deliberately placed under pressure throughout the training year as they are required to submit essays and reviews whilst completing their Taskup. On successful completion of the course students are awarded a Masters Degree in Applied Maritime Defence Studies. Lieutenant Commander Stock said; “I have been interested in Indonesia for many years, ever since first joining the Navy and travelling to Jakarta in 1983, my first ever overseas port. Indonesia is Australia’s closest neighbour, and being located so close, we share many of the same regional concerns. Indonesia is a very large and diverse country, and has a very deep and varied culture, with influence from many countries though history. When the opportunity to apply for selection to Seskoal came up, I immediately applied. My wife Tania has accompanied me on this posting, and arriving in Jakarta was a big change from living in Perth. Jakarta is the city that never sleeps, literally millions of people”. LCDR Stock is very keen to study at Seskoal. Apart from the education he also is very interested in working together with Indonesian Naval Officers. He is very interested in understanding the differences and similarities between the two Navies. |