Have you noticed that the military persons always communicate each other with terms that seem deliberately complicated? Yes, they love very much acronyms and abbreviations. In Indonesia, there has been a widespread use of military acronyms and abbreviations, which facilitates an efficient communication among experts. But meanwhile, it also complicates communication with the public and the international community who are interested to such subject.
Of course, we cannot ask the military people to use common or simpler jargons, due to security reason. So, it’s us who learn their language. That’s why we need a dictionary.
Well, if you happen to like the military spirit in Indonesia, or as a writer you want to deepen understanding about that, I found a good dictionary for you. Kamus istilah-istilah militer. Not a commercial dictionary, luckily. The dictionary was composed neatly and comprehensively by Dr. Ingo Wandelt, an academic specializing in Southeast Asia affiliated with the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University, Germany.
It’s served in Indonesian and English. So, when you fancy write something with the background of Indonesian military, just start your research here.
