Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) announced Thursday a major reshuffle which included the promotion of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's brother-in-law as the new TNI chief of general affairs.
Lt. Gen. Erwin Sudjono, a 1975 graduate of the Armed Forces Academy and the husband of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono's older sister, is the current commander of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad). His elevation to the post of chief of general affairs will see him filling the post of Lt. Gen. Endang Suwarya, who has been moved to "administrative tasks" at TNI headquarters.
The reshuffle, which was decided at a meeting of the TNI's High-ranking Officers Promotion Council (Wanjakti), was presided over by TNI commander Air Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto on Tuesday and involved a total of 129 high-ranking officers from all the three forces – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force – including 32 officers entering retirement age.
"The reshuffle has been conducted as part of the routine tour of duty to refresh the military organization. It has been held in accordance with principles of professionalism and fair proportion among the three forces," TNI spokesman Rear Marshal Sagom Tamboen told The Jakarta Post after a ceremony that saw the chief of the National Air Defense Command Vice Marshal Eris Haryanto pass his position on to his successor Rear Marshal Gandjar Wiranegara.
Eris was appointed the new Director General for Defense Planning and Weaponry at the Defense Ministry.
Some 51 senior officers were transferred to new positions while maintaining their military ranks, while 46 others were promoted to higher ranks.
Other officers affected in the reshuffle include Lt. Gen. Cornel Simbolon, currently commander of the Army's Education and Training Command, who was appointed as Deputy Army chief. He will replace retiring Lt. Gen. Herry Tjahjana. Maj. Gen. George Toisutta, currently chief of the Siliwangi Regional Military Command overseeing West Java and Banten provinces, was promoted as the new Kostrad chief. He is expected to get his three-star-general rank in the immediate future.
Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono, assistant to the TNI chief for General Affairs, was promoted to lead the Army Education and Training Center (Kodiklat) in Bandung. He will also get his three-star-general rank soon.
Rear Marshal Subandrio, currently assistant to the Air Force chief on logistic affairs, was promoted to deputy Air Force chief, while Brig. Gen. Sunarko, currently chief of staff of Kostrad's First Division, was promoted to commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus). Both Subandrio and Sunarko will be awarded a higher rank.
Brig. Gen. Suwarno, currently a senior officer at Kodiklat, was promoted to be commander of the Presidential Guard Command, while Brig. Gen. Haryadi Sutanto, chief of staff of Central Java's Diponegoro Military Command, was promoted to chief of the Trikora Military Command overseeing the provinces of Papua and West Papua.