Development of Defense Forces in the North Sulawesi Border Area as the Implementation of the Big Island Defense Strategy

Indonesia as an archipelagic country has a very wide border area, including North Sulawesi which borders the Sulawesi Sea, the Pacific Sea, and the Republic of the Philippines. Based on the characteristics of the border area of North Sulawesi which is an archipelago and the lack of monitoring infrastructure, the supervision carried out by the TNI is less than optimal, so that it becomes a gap for foreigners to enter illegally and also has the potential to become an entry point for other threats to state sovereignty. Based on this, this research was carried out with the aim of analyzing the development of defense forces in the North Sulawesi Border Region which needs to be implemented in the context of implementing the defense strategy of the big islands. The approach used is qualitative with data in the form of secondary data obtained from literature studies. Data analysis was carried out using qualitative descriptive analysis techniques. The results of the study stated that the development of defense forces in the border area of North Sulawesi must refer to the orientation to self-reliance of Sulawesi as a whole as one of the big islands which is the center of national defense. This can be realized by building food, water, energy reserves and national infrastructure facilities. In addition, in accordance with the condition of the border area in the form of an archipelago, it is also necessary to procure means of inter-island transportation that is intended for the implementation of the border control function. The development of defense forces also pays attention to four important aspects that must be considered, namely the budget aspect, setting practical targets, improving the quality of defense soldiers, and increasing deterrence.