TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa Encourages Addition Of 2,000 Army Enlisted Persons In West Papua

The Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, General Andika Perkasa, inspects the implementation of mass vaccination in the Borasi field, Manokwari district, West Papua, Thursday, December 23. (Photo: Hans Arnold Kapisa/Antara)

JAKARTA - The TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa said that he would encourage the addition of 2,000 Army enlisted men (AD) for the Special Autonomy (Otsus) affirmation program for the 2022 Fiscal Year. working visit in Manokwari, Thursday. Andika said that the addition of strength in the West Papua region was still very much needed, so he offered more than the West Papua Governor's proposal to 2,000 enlisted men.

"Although not the owner of the authority, because the owner of the authority to increase strength is the Minister of Defense (Menhan), but I will help push for West Papua to have an additional 2,000 Special Autonomy personnel," said Andika, as quoted by Antara, Thursday, December 24.

Andika said that the reason West Papua needed a large addition was that the Indonesian Army in West Papua was still far from 100 percent strong, and it was time for West Papua to be in line with other regions outside the island of Papua.

"The real strength of the TNI AD in West Papua is currently only 35 percent, while our needs here must be 100 percent," he said.

Therefore, continued Adika, there must be an acceleration of additions, and it cannot be limited to relying on routine recruitment programs every year because the quota is small.

"So I will encourage this very good initiative of the Governor, so that the lack of 65 percent of the TNI AD strength in West Papua needs to be accelerated to increase starting next year at least above 50 percent," he said.