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View all search resultsWhy do Dayak recruits get a special military pathway?
Dayak communities' familiarity with forested terrain and local social dynamics could add operational value to the TNI, particularly in disaster preparedness and strengthening the military's presence in remote areas.
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Soldiers of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) 613th Infantry Battalion/Raja Alam chant during a homecoming ceremony at Semayang Port in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on July 22, 2026, after returning from a 12-month border security deployment along the Indonesia–Papua New Guinea frontier. A total of 450 personnel took part in the mission. (Antara/Angga Palguna)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has instructed his defense chiefs to review enlistment requirements for members of the Dayak community, an indigenous people from the remote interiors of Kalimantan, leaving open the prospect of adjusted standards for communities whose geographic isolation may put them at a disadvantage against applicants from more accessible areas.
The directive emerged from a closed-door meeting on Aug. 29 at Prabowo's private Hambalang residence in Bogor, West Java, attended by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto, all three chiefs of staff and several cabinet ministers, Kompas.com reported.
The meeting was held while the government was managing the simultaneous outbreak of forest and peatland fires across Kalimantan and Sumatra, though officials have cautioned against reading the recruitment policy as a response to the disasters.
What is being offered to inland Dayak tribes?
Sjafrie, speaking after a House of Representatives Commission I meeting on Monday, confirmed that potential Dayak recruits would be given "a little privilege" to join the military, such as accommodations for height requirements, which can disadvantage people from communities with shorter average stature.
"The inland Dayak people have been asked to be given the opportunity to enter the TNI. Give those who are shorter a little privilege," Sjafrie said, as quoted by Kompas.com.
