Salman Mardira, Jakarta – The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) have appointed Major General Edwin Adrian Sumantha as the new commander of the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres), replacing Maj. Gen. Achiruddin, who has been promoted to lead the Diponegoro Regional Military Command.

TNI spokesperson Kristomei Sianturi confirmed the appointment on Wednesday, noting that it is part of a broad reshuffle involving 117 high-ranking officers.

"This reshuffle is not merely administrative. It serves as a strategic move to develop careers and refresh the organization for more effective performance," Kristomei said in Jakarta.

Born in Jakarta on October 23, 1975, Edwin graduated from the Military Academy at the age of 22. His military career began in Indonesia's elite Special Forces Command (Kopassus), where he served from second lieutenant to lieutenant colonel.

He previously served as commander of the Army Command and Staff College (Seskoad) from October 2024 and, more recently, as the Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Defense.

In July 2014, Edwin, then a colonel, was appointed commander of the Central Jakarta District Military Command (Kodim 0501), later transitioning to serve as chief of staff for the 1st Infantry Brigade of the Capital Security Command. Shortly after, he returned to lead Kodim 0501, making him the only TNI officer to hold that post twice.

Edwin became a key figure in the national leadership circle in 2018 when he was appointed aide-de-camp to then-Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

As a seasoned special forces officer, Edwin has been involved in a range of military operations both domestically and internationally. His domestic deployments include conflict zones in Aceh and Papua, while internationally, he served under the United Nations as a military observer in Georgia, Eastern Europe.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/edwin-sumantha-appointed-as-new-commander-of-presidential-security-forc