Indonesia Expands Military as Defense Budget Soars

Indonesia has created more than 20 regional commands in its biggest armed forces overhaul in decades, coinciding with a sharp increase in defense spending under President Prabowo Subianto and mounting concerns over growing military influence.

Prabowo, a former general, inaugurated new commands for the army, navy and air force on Sunday to mark the largest reorganization since the era of the authoritarian ruler Suharto, when the military maintained an extensive territorial network that reached into every province.