It is inconceivable how a country in this world is able to survive without a permanent military force. Permanent military power in question is a military force that protects the sovereignty of the land, sea and air space. Although most of the world's zones are mostly in a state of peace, the possibility of invasion and aggression is a probability to be reckoned with.
Even though they are aware of these threats and dangers, the countries below do not budge and keep their countries alive without permanent military power, some of which are even one of the happiest countries in the world.
1. Bhutan
Most of the area is above an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level (meters above sea level) with some areas in the north which are even above an altitude of 6000 meters above sea level. Some of the peaks in the northern region of Bhutan are even covered in snow all year round. This small country in South Asia, squeezed between India and China, was voted one of the happiest countries in the world according to BBC Travel's Eric Weiner.
Until recently, the Bhutanese military consisted only of the Royal Bhutan Army and Police. The small country still retains royal influence to its government, hence the military in this country has a Royal Guard Force. Bhutan does not have a navy and air force because its territory is in the highlands and is squeezed by the two "giants" of Asia, India and China.
However, in 1958, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru supported Bhutan's independence and "protected" Bhutan militarily and considered aggression directed against Bhutan as aggression against Indian sovereignty. With this agreement, India gains many advantages in its relations with Bhutan, including the export of Indian-made military equipment and the right to intervene in Bhutan's foreign affairs.
2. Andorra
If you talk about a country that has two public service systems that come from two different countries, Andorra may be the right answer for that. Since the 1200s until today, this beautiful region which has only 28 members of parliament is ruled by the "prince of Andorra" consisting of the President of France and the Bishop of Urgel, Spain.
Because the influence of France and Spain is so strong, it is not uncommon to find two public service systems such as postal services and also the use of currency (French Franc and Spanish Peseta), but currently using the Euro currency.
As big as Jakarta, it depends on the protection of Spain and France as well as NATO countries. To regulate the order of its government, the Police Department was formed in 1931 with a strength of no more than 500 personnel. Because there are so few police personnel, every man who owns a firearm is obliged to join the police force
3. Solomon Islands
Since becoming a British protectorate in the 1890s and had become the scene of a fierce Pacific War battle, the Solomon Islands practically gave up security stabilization with other British Commonwealth countries, namely Australia and New Zealand.
Although it does not have military power, the extent of the sovereignty of this archipelagic country is not small. With 990 islands and an area of 28,400 square kilometers, the country is only strengthened by a local police force consisting of no more than 1000 personnel.
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Solomon Police does not purely handle criminal cases and domestic stabilization but also handles firefighting, natural disaster management and maritime patrols. So the lack of military strength that is not proportional to the area, then to deal with the political unrest in 2006, Australia and New Zealand mobilized combat vehicles and military personnel to restore stability in domestic security.
4. Republic of Nauru
Have you ever been to Bukittinggi? If you think how small the area of Bukittinggi is, you shouldn't complain first, because there is a republic which is no wider than Bukittinggi. However, this country which only has an area of 21 square kilometers has its own airport located right at one end of the island which is directly bordered by the Pacific Ocean.
This small country does not have its own military power but gets military security guarantees from Australia if it gets an invasion/attack from outside. One of the compensations from Australia's military assistance is the willingness of the Republic of Nauru to allow it. Australia is building a Refugee Detention Camp for Asylum Seekers for Immigrants who are going to Australia.
5. Palau
If the majority of island nations in the pacific are under the protection of the Australian and New Zealand militaries, then Palau has little difference. This "young" country which just got its independence from the United States is geographically very close to the territory of the Republic of Indonesia, where to the north, east is bordered by West Papua, North Maluku and North Sulawesi.
The United States made this country an archipelagic country to maintain the security of its territory in the far eastern area, so Palau is bound by the Compact Of Free Association agreement where the United States will provide military protection in the event of aggression against this region.
As a country that was once “occupied” by the United States, its government and police system has similarities to the United States police system on a small scale. This can be seen from the separation of the government into 16 states which was also followed by the separation of the police into 16 state police equipped with maritime patrol vessels to control their territory from fishing and intruders.
6. Leichtenstein
Little cayenne pepper. That phrase seems appropriate to describe a small country located between Switzerland and Austria. This “tiny” country occupies only 160 square kilometers and has only a national police force of 91 active police personnel and 34 civilian staff. In the past, Leichtenstein did not have a military treaty that allowed protection in case of invasion by another country.
However, since the outbreak of shooting cases that occurred in 2004, Leichtenstein made an agreement with Switzerland so that the country is willing to provide military protection and place 300 personnel who accompany the Leichtenstein Police to protect vital objects, even in some cases the Swiss army guards the borders of Leichtenstein and neighboring countries.
Judging from this, we can conclude that in general countries without permanent military power are highly dependent on the military forces around them or which have certain treaties. Especially in the Pacific region, countries without permanent military power depend on the protection of the three allied countries, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
7. Samoa
Having two large islands and seven smaller islands, this country seceded as an independent state from New Zealand in 1962. Having a police institution, Samoa relies heavily on the national police to address the various needs and maintain order for its citizens, including guarding the two prisons that exist in the country. . The national police have maritime patrol boats to guard their territory. The national police also frequently collaborate with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in the Pacific Police Development Program.
In 2000 the Samoan Police were involved in maritime patrols in the waters of Timor Leste (formerly East Timor) as part of the Australian-led deployment of UNTEA.
What Does This Mean For Indonesia? Indonesia is besieged!!
In general, Indonesia's neighboring countries in the Malacca Strait region such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have ties to the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand as former members of SEATO where they work hand in hand to stem the influence of communism in Southeast Asia. Although the issue was no longer relevant and was followed by the dissolution of SEATO in 1977, the "friendship" between the countries, especially the commonwealth countries, was still maintained.
Since the transfer of sovereignty from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Indonesia in 1948, slowly but surely, the TNI has realized this and has begun to actively build its military strength. The first “show off” action was ahead of the Mandala Operation.
With a strength of more than 10,000 army personnel, Mitcell B-25 bombers, P-51 Mustang Tank Buster, Tupolev Tu-16 KS strategic bombers that can fire nuclear warheads, Antonov An-12B transporters, Mig-15 Fagot, Mig- 17 Fresco and intercept fighter Mig-21 Fishbed, Sverdov Class RI Irian cruiser, Whiskey Class submarine and other combat equipment have made the Netherlands surrounded and "cut off" from the outside world and logistics routes in a short time.
The deployment of this force has made the TNI no longer underestimated and since then, the CIA has been actively flying the U-2 Dragonfly spy plane to monitor Indonesia. The same thing happened when Indonesia was in a period of confrontation with Malaysia.
The TNI AU's Tupolev Tu-16 KS strategic bomber is able to fly non-stop and get out of the ambush of Western radars and fighters until it reaches Darwin-Australia, which makes the country "cold sweat" and does nothing to resolve the confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia.
In the author's opinion, although the Western allies have long maintained an island nation in the Pacific as the outermost tip of their defense and made Indonesia "as if" surrounded by their vanish defense tactic, it did not make state officials and TNI isolated and humbled. One method to get out of their "encirclement" is to create a deterrent effect that makes them have to look at the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.
One of the methods of dererrent is the active deployment of military force, both real and manipulative. Although this method is not the only way, it has the greatest effect compared to the method of political diplomacy.
After all, with one of these methods, the West does not claim Miangas Island, which borders the Philippines, and in that way, for more than 30 years, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia has never lost its sovereignty and remains good friends with the inhabitants of the island countries that lie in the Pacific Ocean. (by Muhammad Sadan – Military and Aerospace Observer)
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