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So I've read this piece of insightful pie from Collin this morning as my brain breakfast. The development of this newer Sentinel-class OPVs which will replace older Sentinel-class MSRVs actually have at least three major key points in which Indonesia could study and try to adapt to it's own practice :
1. From Collin's perspective, the logic behind the presence of these OPVs are clear : To navigate correctly and sending a proper, more calibrated response for crisis/threats that fall short of an armed attack but presenting threats larger than just common coercion techniques, since those crisis could potentially damage or threaten more strategic assets of national interest in the area. I strongly support this perspective since Indonesia also experience this kind of crisis/threats (UUV/Undersea Beacon discovery, Maritime Militia Coercion against Indonesia's EEZ, etc.). Indonesia needs to study Singapore's move in building this vessels, as we all know that Bakamla, a projected Indonesian Coast Guard agency lacks on ships/hull in numbers compared to the operational areas they must stand watch for.
2. The argument that sending these OPVs could be interpreted as "standard, normal and calibrated response" in the blurred zone between Grey Hull of a Navy and White Hull of a Coast Guard presence, is not just a justification, but it's a proper way of addressing those less lethal but impactful threats made by both State Actors or State Sponsored-Non State Actors such as, again, the maritime militia. While sending a larger hull but with limited lethal weapons capability, this could also be interpreted as keeping the political escalation in a stable condition while still maintaining the proper stance against the acts of coercion.
3. One of the major stuff being mostly ignored in the news and discussions surrounding the newer Sentinel-class OPVs is that the RSN decides to employ more less lethal, non-kinetic capabilities to respond on the potential threats which project a non lethal but still influence strategic impact and could potentially damage and disrupt Singapore's national interests in the contested grey zone areas. The Indonesians should also adopt and adapt this kind of move by Singapore. We already starts to employ the same Italian-made SITEP MASS (LRAD) system onboard our PPA/Brawijaya-class Frigate. It would be better if we also explore the potential to use this same systems onboard maybe Bakamla's fleet of White Hull ships.
For fellow Indonesians, if you want to know more about the SITEP MASS system in Indonesian service, you can read here at my blog :
hobbymiliter.com/13632/sitep…