New TNI History: Prabowo Inaugurates New Military Command and Special Forces Commander, also Bestows Honorary Ranks

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto arrived at the Indonesian Army's Special Forces Education and Training Center (Pusdiklatpassus) in Batujajar, West Bandung Regency, West Java, on Sunday morning, August 10, to lead the Operational Troops and Military Honors Ceremony.

President Prabowo, wearing a black cap and safari suit, arrived at the Suparlan Field of the Kopassus Army's Pusdiklatpassus in Batujajar at 8:55 a.m. Western Indonesian Time, accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, who also wore camouflage uniform and a red Kopassus beret. At the event, the President was greeted by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto.

During the ceremony, President Prabowo will inaugurate Lieutenant General Tandyo Budi Revita, previously the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army, as Deputy Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). He will then confirm and inaugurate Lieutenant General Djon Afriandi as Commander of the Indonesian Army's Special Forces Command (Kopassus), Lieutenant General (Mar) Endi Supardi as Commander of the Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps, Air Marshal Deny Muis as Commander of the Indonesian Air Force's Rapid Response Force Corps, and Air Marshal Andyawan Martono Putra as Commander of the Indonesian Air Force's National Air Defense Command.

Then, President Prabowo will also inaugurate the new TNI organization, namely six new regional military commands (kodam), namely Kodam XIX/Tuanku Tambusai (Riau and Riau Islands), Kodam XX/Tuanku Imam Bonjol (West Sumatra and Jambi), Kodam XXI/Radin Inten (Lampung and Bengkulu), Kodam XXII/Tambun Bungai (Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan), Kodam XXIII/Palaka Wira (Central and West Sulawesi), and Kodam XXIV/Mandala Trikora (South Papua), the Indonesian Navy Regional Command (Kodaeral) which is a transformation of the Indonesian Navy Main Base (Lantamal), then the Air Force Regional Command, Air Operations Command, the addition of three new Kopassus groups, 20 Indonesian Army Territorial Development Infantry Brigades, 100 Indonesian Army Territorial Development Infantry Battalions, Indonesian Navy Marine Infantry Brigades, Indonesian Air Force Rapid Response Force Corps Command Regiment, Indonesian Navy Marine Infantry Battalions, and the Indonesian Air Force's Kopasgat Commando Battalion.

At the same location, President Prabowo is scheduled to confer the rank of Honorary General (HOR) on several retired TNI officers, including Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) M. Herindra, President Director of Agrinas Palma Agus Sutomo, who is also a former Kopassus Commander, and the 1966 Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin, a lieutenant general in the Navy.

President Prabowo, in the same ceremony, will confer the rank of Honorary 3-Star General on Soehartono Soeratman, Bambang Eko Suharyanto, Khairawan, Glenny Kairupan, Musa Bangun, and Tony SB Hoesodo. President Prabowo will then confer the rank of Honorary 2-Star General on Taufik Hidayat. Finally, the President also awarded the Bintang Sakti Medal of Honor to Lieutenant General (Ret.) Muhammad Alfan Baharudin, the Indonesian Marine Corps' Second Lieutenant (Ret.) Darius Bayani.

President Prabowo awarded the Bintang Sakti Medal of Honor to Second Lieutenant (Ret.) Darius for his services and crucial role in Operation Mapenduma in 1996, which resulted in the release of Indonesian and foreign nationals held hostage by the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in Papua.