TNI Commander Transfers 172 Officers, Including Pangkogabwilhan III To Cenderawasih Military Commander

TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono after chairing a meeting on Papua at the Vice Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (26/4/2023). ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia.

TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono replaced the official Commander of the Joint Regional Defense Command (Pangkogabwilhan) III and the Commander of the XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Pangdam) through the latest TNI mutation involving 172 officers.

The mutation was stated in the Decree of the TNI Commander Number Kep/426/IV/2023 concerning Dismissal from and Appointment in Position within the TNI dated April 27, 2023, a copy of which was obtained in Jakarta, Wednesday, May 3.

The position of Pangkogabwilhan III will be occupied by Major General TNI Agus Suhardi, who previously served as Asops TNI Commander, replacing Lt. Gen. I Nyoman Cantiasa who will then serve as Koorsahli Kasad.

Lt. Gen. Nyoman Cantiasa replaces Lt. Gen. Yogo Triyono who is in the context of preparing for retirement.

Meanwhile, the position of Pangdam XVII/Cenderawasih will be occupied by Major General TNI Izak Pangemanan replacing Major General TNI Muhammad Saleh Mustafa.

Major General Izak previously served as Kas Kogabwilhan III, the position that will then be carried out by Marsma TNI Budhi Achmadi, who was previously the Deputy Chief of the TNI Commander.

The transfer of positions was carried out amid the increasing terror acts of armed criminal groups (KKB) in Papua, since the burning of the Susi Air plane at Paro Airport, Nduga Regency, and the hostage-taking of New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens on February 7, 2023.

Recently, acts of terror by the KKB in Papua have increased, including attacks in Mugi-man, Nduga, on April 15, 2023, which killed five TNI soldiers in a search operation to search for pilot Susi Air.

Kogabwilhan III is the main command of operations covering the Maluku Islands and Papua Island and domiciled in Timika, Papua.

Meanwhile, Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih is the command of the defense area which includes the provinces of Papua, Central Papua, Papua Mountains, and South Papua.

Transfers based on the Decree of the TNI Commander Number Kep/426/IV/2023 also involve one other position in Papua, namely the Military Resort Commander (Danrem) 172/PWY (Abepura) Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih.

Former Pamen Denmabesad Colonel Inf Dedi Hardono will replace Brigadier General Juinta Omboh Sembiring to occupy the position.

For information, the TNI Commander since April 18, 2023 announced combat alerts in areas in Papua that are considered prone to terror and KKB attacks.

Later on April 26, 2023, the TNI Commander emphasized that the determination of combat alert status for TNI soldiers in Papua was not the implementation of military operations.

"Fight situations, it is emphasized again, so far we have conveyed territorial operations, social communication operations, because the people there are not high insecurity, but specifically for certain areas that are high in vulnerability, we will emphasize them again to be alert to combat," said Yudo at the Vice Presidential Palace, Jakarta.