President Says The Indonesian Armed Forces Leadership Selection Doesn't Require Seniority, House of Representatives Commission I: Defense Challenges Are Increasingly Tough

DPR Building in Senayan, South Jakarta. (Unsplash-Dino Januarsa)

JAKARTA - Oleh Soleh, a member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), supports President Prabowo Subianto's statement, which emphasized that the selection process for TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) leaders should not rely on seniority, but prioritize achievement.

According to him, the TNI must be able to keep up with the times and increasingly complex global defense challenges.

"I agree with President Prabowo. In the TNI leadership selection process, ability and competence must be the primary factors. However, if there are senior officers with superior abilities, they should certainly be prioritized," said Oleh Soleh in Jakarta on Monday, October 6.

The member of the defense commission also believes that TNI personnel in all branches must continue to improve their capacity and capabilities, especially in facing modern defense challenges that now rely heavily on technological advances.

"Future defense challenges are increasingly challenging. Therefore, TNI personnel are required to continuously learn and master technology. Our defense equipment is increasingly sophisticated, and this requires professional and adaptive human resources," Oleh Soleh emphasized.

He also hopes that recruitment and promotion policies within the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) will continue to encourage meritocracy and healthy career development, thus producing military leaders with integrity, intelligence, and readiness to meet the nation's strategic needs.

"The TNI is the backbone of national defense. Therefore, its leaders must emerge from an objective, transparent, and capability-based process, not simply based on seniority," he said.

Therefore, Soleh added, the spirit of reform promoted by President Prabowo in the TNI leadership development and selection system deserves the support of all parties.

"This is to maintain professionalism and superior national defense strength," he concluded.