"Commander Salim should be proud of his efforts to assist in the development of Indonesia's maritime future. He is well on his way to becoming the Indonesian Mahan."

Canberra, 26 June 2015

 Vice Admiral T.W, Barrett, AO, CSC, RAN , Chief of Navy

“ One thing that nearly all the countries of the Asia-Pacific region have in common is a clear desire to modernise and expand their navies and other maritime forces. The result will be a significant shift in the regions strategic weight at sea when compared to the rest of the world. This is not just a recognition of past neglect but also a reflection of how important the sea is to them both as an aspect of their national security and economically as a source of oil, fish and gas and as a means of transporting their imports and exports. As their economies rise then so, also, will their interests in contributing to the security of the global sea-based trading order.  But though most countries have these aspirations in common, they way they seek to realise them depends on their particular geographic, strategic, social and economic circumstances. In this book Commander Salim explores the Indonesian approach to the need to ‘grow’ maritime power and shows how the country’s leaders are basing their plans on the realities of a distinctive and fascinating country.”

United Kingdom, 5 Juli 2015

 Professor Geoffrey Till