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View all search resultsTNI restructuring raises eyebrows
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Army personnel march on Oct. 5, 2025, during an event marking the 80th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in Banda Aceh, Aceh. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
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restructuring within the Indonesian Military (TNI) that involves the revival of a decades-long-dormant post and an upgrade in several commands has raised questions on whether the changes reflect external security concerns or internal organizational needs.
The changes were part of a reshuffle at the TNI headquarters signed earlier this week affecting 35 Army officers, from regional military commanders (Pangdam) to leadership roles in joint regional defense commands (Kogabwilhan).
Among the 35 officers, 27 are high-ranking officers while the remaining eight are mid-ranking ones.
TNI spokesperson Brig. Gen. Aulia Dwi Nasrullah confirmed the reshuffle, saying such changes were “routine within the military” and part of the soldiers’ career development, Antara reported on Wednesday.
One aspect of the change, however, has drawn particular attention: the revival of the chief of staff of territorial affairs (Kaster), a senior position in the TNI structure that had been scrapped more than two decades ago in the early Reform era.
Then president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid abolished the post in 2001 as part of efforts to scale back the military’s territorial influence in civilian spaces following the fall of Soeharto’s authoritarian New Order regime.
About a dozen three-star Army generals occupied the post during the three decades of the New Order.
