| Republic of Indonesia | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Nuclear program start date | 1964 (claimed, ended in 1966)[1] |
| First nuclear weapon test | October 5, 1965 (intended, never carried out) |
| Total tests | None |
| Current stockpile | None |
| NPT party | Yes (1970) |
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Indonesia currently does not possess anyweapons of mass destruction (WMD) such asnuclear weapons nor does it have the capability to develop them. However, the country has natural resources suitable for nuclear energy production, such as uranium and thorium. During the 1960s, it was known that Indonesia attempted to develop nuclear weapons either independently or by cooperation with anuclear states such asChina and theSoviet Union. No official program was ever established, but research and production efforts were claimed to be underway. The ambition was ultimately abolished by theNew Order government.[2]
Indonesia is currently a strong advocate fornuclear disarmament and thepeaceful use of nuclear energy. The country has signed and ratified numerous non-proliferation treaties and conventions—nuclear,biological, andchemical weapons—starting in 1970 until its most recent in 2017.[3]
In the 1960s during theSukarno administration, Indonesia sought to acquire and test nuclear weapons. AfterProject 596 conducted by thePeople's Republic of China on October 16, 1964, theIndonesian government publicized their intent to acquire a nuclear weapon. Many speculated that Indonesia would acquire the bomb by requesting assistance from the PRC through the newly createdJakarta–Peking Axis.[2]
On November 15, 1964, a month after the Project 596 conducted by the PRC, Brig. Gen. Hartono Wirjodiprodjo, director of the Army Arsenal, stated that Indonesia would probably be able to detonate its own atomic bomb by 1965 with research already underway,The New York Times reported viaAntara.[4] He went even further on February 2, 1965, claiming that 200 Indonesianatomic scientists were conducting tests for the production of an atomic bomb. Hartono also stated that it would be a "surprise" for the upcomingArmed Forces Day on October 5, which many interpreted as a possible date for an Indonesian nuclear test.[2]
In a speech during aMuhammadiyah Congress inBandung on July 24, 1965, Sukarno declared that the country would possess a nuclear weapon in the near future.
Insyaallah, dalam waktu dekat ini kita akan berhasil membuat bom atom sendiri.
[God willing, in the near future we will succeed in making our own atomic bomb.]
— Sukarno, in Teuku Reza Fadeli,Nuklir Sukarno: Kajian Awal atas Politik Tenaga Atom Indonesia 1958–1967.[5]
This statement marked a shift inIndonesia's nuclear development, from "atoms for peace" into defense and military purposes as well.[6]
Nevertheless, theUnited States viewed Indonesia as incapable of developing a nuclear weapon independently. TheU.S. Embassy in Jakarta regarded Sukarno's statement as purely propaganda. Some officials from theU.S. Department of State also interpreted his statement as either a request for aChinese nuclear test in Indonesian waters while allowing Sukarno to take credit for it, or a potential Chinese test with Indonesian involvement and collaborations in it.[7]
However, on September 30, 1965, a failedcoup d'état—dubbed the30 September Movement—led to the ousting of Sukarno and the rise ofSuharto, who eventually became the secondpresident of Indonesia, who showed no interest in pursuing nuclear weapons. The research was abandoned by theNew Order government and marked the end of Indonesia's ambition to acquire such weapons.[5]
In 1958, the Institute of Atomic Energy (Lembaga Tenaga Atom, LTA) was established by the Indonesian government to supervisenuclear research and developatomic energy. The LTA was limited to conducting peaceful research, including the planning and construction ofreactors in cooperation with theUnited States and theSoviet Union.
Recognizing the growing strategic importance of nuclear weapons, Sukarno reorganized and renamed the agency as the National Atomic Energy Agency (Badan Tenaga Atom Nasional, BATAN). Although the idea of developing a nuclear weapon was eventually abandoned, BATAN was renamed to National Nuclear Energy Agency (Badan Tenaga Nuklir Nasional, BATAN) and continued to serve as the country's main national nuclear research agency until its dissolution.
In 2021, during theWidodo administration, BATAN was formally dissolved and integrated into theNational Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, BRIN), alongside other Indonesian national research agencies, with its functions transferred to the newly establishedResearch Organization for Nuclear Energy (Organisasi Riset Tenaga Nuklir, ORTN). To ensure the safety, security, and compliance with international standards in the use of nuclear energy, theNuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Badan Pengawas Tenaga Nuklir, BAPETEN) was established back in 1998.
Indonesia currently has threenuclear research facilities, all located on the island ofJava. These facilities were originally managed by BATAN and are now by theORTN underBRIN, supervised byBAPETEN. The first reactor, built in 1965 inBandung, uses theTRIGA Mark II reactor, supplied by theUnited States.[8] The second, the Kartini Reactor inYogyakarta, was built in 1979 and also uses a TRIGA Mark II design, but smaller in capacity compared to the Bandung reactor.[9] The third and most advanced is theGerrit Augustinus Siwabessy Multipurpose Reactor (RSG-GAS), located inSouth Tangerang, which began operation in 1987.[10] Indonesia has also announced plans to buildnuclear power plants for electricity generation and it is projected to be ready by 2030 or 2035 in cooperation with countries such asCanada,Russia, andChina.[11]
Indonesia has signed and ratified theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1970 and 1978,[13] theBiological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1972 and 1991,[14] theChemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1993 and 1998,[15] theComprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1998 and 2012,[16] as well as theTreaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and 2023.[17] Indonesia is also one of the ten listing parties of theSoutheast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ) which prohibits the development, manufacture, acquisition, possession, or control over nuclear weapons. The country signed the SEANWFZ in 1995 and ratified it in 1997.[18]
