Jakarta – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has officially signed Presidential Regulation Number 42/2019 on Two Revisions to Presidential Regulation Number 10/2010 on the Organisational Structure of the Indonesian Military (TNI). The presidential regulation (perpres) was signed and came into force on July 3.
The regulation is understood to be the bases for revisions to the structure of the TNI’s headquarters and the formation of the TNI Special Operations Command (Komando Operasi Khusus, Koopssus TNI) which is based on units operating on land, sea and air.
According to the new regulation, the Koopssus TNI will be tasked with organising special operations and providing support for special operations which require rapid response and high levels of success.
“In order to safeguard the national interests both domestically as well as outside the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia in the framework of supporting the basic duties of the TNI”, reads the regulation as quoted by the Cabinet Secretariat website www.seskab.go.id on Thursday July 18.
Furthermore, the regulation states that the Koopssus TNI will be headed by a Koopssus TNI commander (Dankoopssus) with the rank of a two-star general. Meanwhile the position of deputy commander (Wadankoopssus) will be held by a one-star general.
The Koopssus commander will be responsible to the commander of the TNI and will be assisted by the Wadankoopssus. Meanwhile in the implementation of routine duties the Dankoopssus will coordinate with the TNI’s Chief of Staff (Kasum TNI).
The presidential regulation also refers to issue of the TNI’s Operational Command. Its structure will be made up of the National Air Defense Command (Kohanudnas), the Joint Area Defense Commands (Kogabwilhan), the army’s Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad, Green Berets), the army’s Special Forces (Kopassus), the Regional Military Commands (Kodam), the Armada Commands (Koarmada), the Military Seaborne Command (Kolinlamil) and the Air Force Operational Commands (Koops AU).
Prior to this, the TNI had the Joint Special Operations Command (Koopssusgab, a military counterterrorism squad reactivated in May 2018) which was established by former TNI chief Moeldoko in 2015. This command was a joint elite unit made up of three TNI counter-terrorism units from the army’s Sat-81, the navy’s Special Forces (Denjaka) and the air force’s Satbravo-90. The unit was subsequently frozen and never fully reactivated.
Following the ratification of Law Number 5/2018 on Terrorism, it was planned that these elite forces would be reactivated through the drafting of a legal umbrella. This would be a government regulation as a derivative of Law Number 34/2004 on the TNI and through a presidential regulation related to the involvement of the TNI in the anti-terrorism law. (jps/arh)
Notes
According to a report by Tribune News in January, Indonesian military (TNI) commander Air Martial Hadi Tjahjanto said that the TNI’s new Special Operational Command (Koopssus) will be an elite surveillance and cyber unit for combating terrorism and play a direct role in surveillance and close-quarter observation. He said that the elite force will be tasked with gathering data on terrorist sleeper cells as well as protecting the TNI’s equipment and information systems. See TNI to form new elite surveillance and cyber unit to combat terrorism:
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Koopssus TNI Sah Terbentuk, Beroperasi di Dalam dan Luar RI”.]
