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Prabowo consolidates power in TNI with large-scale rotations
The rotation involved 300 officers, with those deemed close to President Prabowo Subianto taking up strategic positions.
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Army personnel march in Banda Aceh on Oct. 5, 2024, during an event marking the 79th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI). (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
T
he Indonesian Military (TNI) has conducted a large-scale rotation of its high-ranking officers, the first since President Prabowo Subianto took office, a move that observers say seeks to consolidate Prabowo’s control of the institution by placing his allies in top positions.
The rotation, announced in a circular signed by TNI commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto last week, involved 300 officers. Most, 143, were from the Army, followed by the Navy with 92 and the Air Force with 65.
Among the notable changes of position was that of Maj. Gen. Achiruddin, who returned to his previous post as the commander of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres).
Achiruddin held the post from November of last year until Oct. 18, two days before Prabowo’s inauguration, when he was appointed commander of the Mulawarman Military Command, which covers North Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.
The two-star general is a graduate of Taruna Nusantara High School in Magelang, Central Java, a school that has enjoyed Prabowo’s favor in appointments, with graduates Teddy Indra Wijaya and Sugiono named cabinet secretary and foreign minister, respectively.
Another significant appointment in the latest military rotation was that of Lt. Gen. Mohammad Fadjar, who became the new chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), considered a prominent position in the TNI.
Fadjar served as former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s aide for a year during the latter’s first presidential term before being assigned to work in the Defense Ministry as the defense potential director general under Prabowo.
