Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Adm. Agus Suhartono officially took over as chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) on Saturday, in an inauguration ceremony where he called for greater state support for the military.

Agus, the former chief of staff of the Navy, said in his speech that he was prepared for the challenge of "improving soldiers' capabilities to better defend the country's sovereignty."

But he said the military needed the support of the government and the House of Representatives to reach this goal, such as by increasing the defense budget. "We all know the military needs to modernize its weaponry," Agus said. "For this, we need the support of all parties."

The ceremony on Saturday was attended by Gen. Djoko Santoso, the outgoing military chief; Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro; House Speaker Marzukie Alie and around 3,000 TNI officers and personnel.

In a speech at the inauguration, Djoko described his successor as a capable leader. He also stressed that it was necessary to focus on training soldiers. "It's crucial that we also modernize the personal skills of each soldier," Djoko said.

At the ceremony, Agus denied allegations that renegade soldiers were behind the recent surge in criminal and terrorist activities across the country. Several media reports suggested that soldiers, disgruntled over their meager pay and benefits, were behind these crimes.

The incidents cited by these publications included armed robberies and a police slaying in North Sumatra, ethnic clashes in South Jakarta and East Kalimantan, attacks on churches and a minority Islamic sect in Bekasi and Bogor, as well as a clash between police and protesters in Southeast Sulawesi.

"We certainly hope that [the allegations] aren't true," Agus said, adding that the issue of soldiers' salaries and benefits also needed to be addressed.

However, Agus says the military leadership "has no authority or resources" to increase the pay or benefits of its soldiers, since the military relies on the government to gradually increase the salaries of public servants.

The new TNI chief said any extra funding approved by the state would be used to provide incentives for soldiers to serve in remote or border regions. "The incentives must be put into place immediately," he said.

In his speech, Agus also addressed claims that the TNI was again seeking to become directly involved in counterterrorism efforts – a role it was barred from playing, by virtue of a presidential decree in 1999.

Currently, the military is tasked to provide support to Densus 88, the police's elite counterterrorism unit. However, there is speculation that the military is withholding key information about possible security threats.

Agus glossed over these claims, saying the TNI's intelligence unit "respected" its counterparts in other institutions, such as the National Police.

He added that the military was prepared "to handle any threats, whenever the country requires our assistance". "The same goes for terrorist threats," the admiral said. "We are ready to be deployed any time we are needed."