Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – The inauguration of Maj. Gen. Ariyo Windutomo as head of the Presidential Secretariat in place of Heru Budi Hartono on Nov. 29 has only reignited concerns about the so-called militarization of the government, which began with the appointment of ministers, deputy ministers and heads of government agencies with military backgrounds by President Prabowo Subianto, himself a retired Army general.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi installed Ariyo and 24 other second-echelon officials within the institution, which is not among the government agencies in which active military personnel are allowed to hold concurrent positions, according to the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law. The new officials include Maj. Gen. Kosasih as the presidential military secretary, while the others are civilians.
Among the members of Prabowo's cabinet who used to serve in the military are Presidential Chief of Staff AM Putrato, Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Coordinating Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Transmigration Minister Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara, Foreign Minister Sugiono, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Muhammad Herindra and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Jaya.
Ariyo previously headed the Defense University's supervisory unit and was head of the general affairs bureau at the Defense Ministry's Secretariat General, while Kosasih was an expert staffer to then-defense minister Prabowo. Both Ariyo and Kosasih are said to have gained recognition after President Prabowo entrusted them to organize the cabinet retreat at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, in late October.
Ariyo, in particular, is a rising star in the military, having received two promotions from 2022 to 2024, becoming a two-star general. He is the third alumnus of the Military Academy's class of 1996 to have obtained the rank of major general, after Maj. Gen. Deddy Suryadi, the Diponegoro regional commander overseeing Central Java, and Maj, Gen. Putranto Gatot Sri Handoyo, the Pattimura regional commander overseeing Maluku and North Maluku.
The appointment of former Defense Ministry officials to strategic posts, such as ministers and presidential secretary, is perceived to be part of President Prabowo's efforts to solidify his authority in the government. After all, any president will name his or her trusted aides to sit in the government's core institutions.
The appointment of Maj. Teddy, a former adjutant of former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and a personal assistant of then-defense minister Prabowo, as cabinet secretary, however, caused controversy not because of his mid-level rank but because the appointment might violate the TNI Law.
To address the debate, the President issued a regulation designating the cabinet secretary as a second-echelon public official under the State Secretariat.
Since 2019, at least 10 mid-ranking and senior officers of the TNI have occupied civilian roles, most as commissioners of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), followed by appointments to ministries and as special advisors to ministers.
According to the TNI Law, the following are the ministries and agencies open to active military personnel: the Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the Presidential Military Secretariat, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN), the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas), the National Resilience Council (Wantannas), the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Supreme Court.
Nonetheless, in practice, three institutions remain unregulated by the TNI Law, yet are led by active TNI officers through the support of presidential regulations: the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT).
The TNI Law is currently up for revision on the long list of the House of Representatives' National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). The revisions could expand the number and types of offices available to active-duty TNI personnel.
Nevertheless, neither public nor political elites seem concerned about the early signs of militarization in civilian posts under President Prabowo, as the TNI is regarded as the most trusted public entity in the country, with 95.8 percent of respondents to a 2023 poll expressing trust in the institution.
What We've Heard
A source said the retired and active military officers currently serving in the government had built good relationships with Prabowo since he retired from military service in the late 1990s.
Foreign Minister Sugiono, for example, resigned from the TNI to help Prabowo develop the Gerindra Party and his businesses. Prabowo reportedly persuaded Sugiono to quit the military, saying his career would stagnate there.
"Back then, there was a tendency among the generals to clean Prabowo's men out of the military," the source said.
The source added that Prabowo would recruit more high- and mid-ranking officers to occupy strategic positions in the government, especially if he were reelected in 2029.
The plan to revise the TNI Law, which includes expanding the military's role in civilian affairs, will likely face little opposition in the House. "But this will be another setback for Indonesian democracy," the source said.