In the speech, delivered in the early morning on Friday, President Prabowo also urged his newly inaugurated ministers to pledge allegiance to the nation.

"I was here to take on oath to defend this country and this nation," Prabowo said, reminiscing about his training days at the military academy in the late 1960s. Prabowo graduated from the academy in 1970.

In his address to the minister, Prabowo reminded members of his cabinet to stick to three qualities: loyalty, discipline and love for the nation.

Prabowo, a former special forces commander, was sworn in as the country's eighth president on Sunday, taking over from his predecessor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Two days after swearing in his cabinet, Prabowo took them on a three-day retreat at a military academy nestled in a Javanese mountain range, where they will sleep in tents and join military-style drills.

The retreat is aimed at forming a bond between around 100 cabinet ministers and their deputies, a diverse grouping of politicians, technocrats, former military officials and religious leaders, according to a new cabinet member.

Such an excursion is not new for Prabowo and reflects his leadership style. His Gerindra party has often organized similar events at Prabowo's spacious Hambalang estate in West Java. 

Gerindra's most recent retreat was held in September to prepare elected parliamentary members to be sworn in. Social media posts from the retreat show politicians posing for photographs wearing brown camouflage uniforms, maroon berets and combat boots.