Draft:Field Artillery Forces Center

The Field Artillery Forces Center, abbreviated as Pussenarmed, is a central implementing agency directly under the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army.

The main task of Pussenarmed is to carry out weapons development, doctrine development, education development, training training and research and development guidance as well as fostering the functions of field artillery in the field of detection, identification, tracking and destruction in order to support the main tasks of the Indonesian Army.

Function
The Field Artillery Forces Center of the Indonesian Army has the main task of organizing the development of the field of Field Artillery heavy weapons systems, including the development of weapons systems, artillery doctrine, education, training, research and development, in the context of fostering the capability and strength of the field artillery systems in current Army service, either:


 * towed artillery guns
 * self-propelled guns
 * multiple rocket launchers/tactical ballistic missiles

History
4 December 1945 - just over 3 and a half months after the declaration of independence - is the date of the formation of the Indonesian Field Artillery, the formation of which was approved by the first Commander of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Oerip Soemohardjo. That date has been marked as the general anniversary of the Field Artillery Center and also as the celebration day of the Indonesian Field Artillery - it is the date of the Catholic feast of Saint Barbara, the internationally recognized patron and protector of military field artillery formations in the Western world.

Major R.M. Pratikno Kusumo Soerjo Soemarno was appointed the first Commandant of the Field Artillery Center - a name adopted in 1966 and readopted many times, but with a history dating to the Indonesian National Revolution. The Indonesian field artillery had just participated not just in minor and some near-major actions in the opening months of the war but in its baptism of fire, the 1945 Battle of Surabaya: captured examples of the Ordnance QF 25-pounder became the first ever Western towed field guns to be operated by Indonesian servicemen - either ex-Defenders of the Homeland and Heiho fighters, former Indonesian and Japanese gunner veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army, young pemuda militias and former native and European personnel of the field artillery of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army of all faiths (Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists and Hindus), joining such former ex-Axis guns like the Type 1 47 mm anti-tank gun, Type 94 75 mm mountain gun and Type 92 battalion gun, as well as the Type 96 15 cm howitzer, the country's first ever howitzer system and all of these guns of Japanese manufacture. When the formation of what was then the Artillery Headquarters of the People's Security Armed Forces - Ground was announced, the celebrations of St. Barbara by ex-RNEIA servicemen that foundation day prompted the date's adoption later as National Field Artillery Day (Hari Artileri Medan Nasional).

The formal establishment of the field artillery branch occurred on 17 November 1946, when Soemarno was confirmed as commandant of artillery formations (including air defense, which spun off into its own arm in 1966 and once more in 2007).

Major Soemarno was succeeded in 1949 by MAJ (FA) Abdul Kadir Prawiraatmadja as commandant of the Centre. Since the recognition of independence, the FATC has served as the primary administrative hub of all field artillery formations, as well as a training center of excellence for the education and capacitation training of artillery gunners and their crews, as well as to the officers assigned to this important branch of the Army.

The Field Artillery gained renewed relevance in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, when its battalions helped the Army fight the regional rebellions and later on Operation Trikora. It was during those years of turmoil and war when the Field Artillery's growing park was joined by the RM-51 MRL system - the second in Southeast Asia after the use of the Soviet made BM series MLRS by the People's Army of Vietnam, and the first self-propelled artillery howitzers by a Southeast Asian army, the French made Mk 61 105 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer. As always the FAFC helped train gunners, gun crews and technicians for the use of these and other systems that armed field artillery battalions countrywide over the decades until today.

Combat Units
Field artillery battalions of the Indonesian Army are categorized into:


 * Towed field artillery gun battalions (Yon Artileri Medan Tarik)
 * Self propelled field artillery gun battalions (Yon Artileri Gerak Sendiri)
 * Composite/Mixed field artillery gun battalions (Yon Artileri Medan Komposit)
 * Multiple rocket launcher/tactical ballistic missile battalions (Yon Artileri Medan Roket)