15 February 2024, in the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, precisely at the Main Base of Indonesian Army Naval Force III. In there, Indonesian Navy Chief Admiral Yudo Margono with the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals discussed the latest report on the Chinese Coast Guard Ship entering North Natuna waters.
"Good afternoon colleagues! Let's start the meeting today."
"Good afternoon Admiral!"
"We received a report from the command in Natuna that several Chinese Coast Guard vessels have entered North Natuna waters. Our navy there managed to repel them although we were outnumbered. That's all."
"Hmm... how are the other waters?"
"So far so good Admiral!"
"Then... how about we hold a large exercise in North Natuna? In response to the increasing presence of the Chinese Coast Guard and to refresh our field tactics."
"Sounds good, but we have to consider the financial impact of this exercise. Can the budget cover the economic shortfall in this exercise?"
"It can. Last year we used less of the state budget than the year before. So we have quite a lot of budget reserves."
"Alright... then what exercises will we hold Admiral?"
"Sea battle drills, marines landing, as well as a raid from the sea to help the ground troops clear the landing area."
"Hmm... then, we will most likely use 20 ships from the strike fleet and 3 LPD ships for this exercise. Do you have any suggestions?"
"I don't think so, but we will organize the tasks for the other warships so that they can protect the entire waters. Any questions?"
"When will the exercise be held, Admiral?"
"Hmm... is the 25th - 19th of February vacant?"
"It seems to be vacant Admiral."
"Alright, let's choose the 25th - 29th of February 2024 with an agenda of sea battle training, the landing of marines, and naval assault on target areas. Are there any questions?"
"No sir!"
"Alright, let's move on to the next discussion. How did the Air Force respond to our request for air support in Natuna?"
"No confirmation yet, most likely the Air Force is busy organizing the 3 dozen new fighter jets they bought. But there has been an assurance from the Marshal about our request."
"Good then, at least they accepted our request."
3 hours passed after the meeting and many high-ranking officers resigned in the middle of the meeting due to mistakes in the field or instructions from the Admiral himself. The meeting ended with a discussion of finances for the upcoming training exercise before being adequately closed by the Admiral. Vice Admiral Otto was also at the meeting because he was one of the high-ranking officers of the Indonesian Navy. He was accompanied by Rear Admiral Agas, his direct subordinate and right-hand man.
Vice Admiral Otto is a high-ranking officer at the young age of 26. Despite his youth, he has earned dozens of achievements. With his posture, he was bigger than most Europeans. It was his dedication and hard work that brought him to the position of Vice Admiral of the Indonesian Navy. Rear Admiral Agas is also relatively young but suffers from an eye defect and is forced to wear glasses. However, brilliant tactical thinking was the key to this Rear Admiral. They were both the captain and right-hand man of the frigate KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata.
The next day, Vice Admiral Otto and Rear Admiral Agas travelled to Yogyakarta by commercial aircraft and moved to the harbour of Tanjung Adikarto Yogyakarta. There, Vice Admiral Otto was busy looking at the list of ammunition and foodstuffs for KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata. Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Agas organized the crew before their departure this time.
"Report! All goods have been loaded onto the ship!"
"Good job, get into the ship immediately! We'll be sailing in a moment."
"Yes sir!"
"Rear Admiral Agas, what is the condition of the crew?"
"Everything is under control, we can sail as soon as possible."
"Good."
At 16.00 WIB, the frigate KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata left the harbour and sailed towards Natuna Island. On the way, they met other warships that were also sailing toward Natuna. This journey took 4 days and 3 nights until they finally arrived in Natuna. When the entire fleet of ships gathered in Natuna, Navy Chief Admiral Yudo Margono immediately divided the ships into 3 fleets, namely Fleet 7, 8, and 9 led by Laksdya Otto. On that day, all high-ranking TNI-AL officers held a final meeting before the grand exercise was held.
"Good afternoon colleagues!"
"Good afternoon Admiral!"
"What is the condition of the entire fleet?"
"Report! Fleet 7 is in combat-ready condition!"
"Good."
"Report! Fleet 8 is also ready for battle!"
"Continue."
"Report! Fleet 9 is in perfect condition! Report completed!"
"Report received! Immediately return to your respective positions! I will take command of the fleet from here. For the next 5 days, conduct regular patrols in shifts before the exercise. Our duty is to protect Indonesian waters from all threats. Are there any questions?"
"No sir!"
"Good, return to your respective positions."
"Yes sir!"
The 9th fleet led by Vice Admiral Otto consists of KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata (331) - 111 personnel, KRI Kapitan Patimura (371) - 48 personnel, KRI Diponegoro (365) - 80 personnel, KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda (367) - 78 personnel with supporting fleet KRI Makassar (590) - 618 personnel + staff, 22 military vehicles/tactical vehicles, 15 trucks, 3 helicopters and KRI Banjarmasin (592) - 686 personnel + staff, 5 helicopters, 13 tanks, 20 trucks. The 7th & 8th Fleets will conduct sea battle exercises and sea attacks on target areas. Meanwhile, the 9th Fleet will conduct marine troop landing and sea attack exercises to target areas.
There are still 5 days before the grand exercise, but Navy Chief Yudo Margono has instructed the entire fleet to train before the grand exercise. On 22 February 2024, the 9th Fleet conducted their training until night. The results were quite satisfactory before they finally docked back to the military harbour.
"Good afternoon Vice Admiral!"
"Good afternoon Colonel Iwan! What's up?"
"Report! All ammunition, fuel, and supplies have been replenished and are ready for action!"
"Report received, return to your original position."
"Understood!"
The next day, all the Navy officers and crew rested up for their grand training exercise. In the meantime, their empty schedules were filled with combat drills from the Air Force as entertainment.