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Jokowi agrees to revive Koopsusgab special forces
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Indonesia's elite military unit Kopassus parade in formation during an exercise at a naval base in Cilegon, West Java, on Oct. 3, 2015 in preparation for the 70th anniversary celebration of the Indonesian Armed Forces on Oct. 5 to be led by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. (AFP/Romeo Gacad)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has agreed to reinstate the suspended military’s Joint Special Operations Command (Koopsusgab) to assist the National Police in antiterrorism operations under certain conditions.
The joint force comprises of special forces of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) three armed forces, namely the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), the Navy's Denjaka specialized squad and the Air Force's Bravo 90 unit.
"The government is in the process of establishing a joint special operations command [...] in order to create a safe and secure environment for the public," Jokowi said in Jakarta on Friday.
The announcement was made in the wake of a string of terrorist attacks on Indonesian soil, which has thrown the nation into a state of paranoia.
Jokowi emphasized that the special force would be deployed only when the National Police's capacity was deemed inadequate to respond to an emergency.
"That means preventive measures are much more important than repressive measures," he added.
Jokowi's statement came days after Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said that the President had expressed his agreement to a proposal to revive the special force, which was first established when Moeldoko was the TNI commander in 2015.
The special command's operation was later suspended under the leadership of Moeldoko's successor Gatot Nurmantyo. (swd)
