REPUBLIKA.CO.ID JAKARTA -- The Naval Chief of Staff, Admiral Ade Supandi, will soon inaugurate three main naval bases in Pontianak, Tarakan and Sorong.

"The three bases were previously the naval bases of TNI AL (the Indonesian Navy). They will only be upgraded from class B to class A," the Admiral said after opening a national seminar marking the World Hydrography Day 2015 at the Discovery Hotel in Ancol Dreamland, North Jakarta, on Wednesday.

The three bases will be called Pontianak main naval base in West Kalimantan, Tarakan main naval base in North Kalimantan and Sorong main naval base in Papua. Each of them will be led by a commodore.

"This is all part of our strategy as a navy," he said.

The Pontianak main naval base will be inaugurated on August 7, Tarakan main naval base on August 12 and Sorong main naval base in October, he said.

Asked about the procurement of main armament systems including ships, he said the Indonesian military's policy remains unchanged although the post of military chief is currently held by General Gatot Nurmantyo of the Army.

He further said the Navy is also planning to bring the Western Fleet Command (Koarmabar) and the Eastern Fleet Command (Koarmatim) under the coordination of the Fleet Command of the Republic of Indonesia.

The nomenclature of the two commands, instead of being western or eastern, will be simply Fleet one, two and three.

"There will be three fleets. They are fleet one, fleet two and fleet three instead of eastern fleet and western fleet," he said.

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