Heru Andriyanto, Bandung, West Java – The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) will reintroduce the position of deputy commander for the first time in 25 years, marking a significant change in the military's leadership structure. The last officer to hold the post was General Fachrul Razi, who served until September 2000.
The announcement will be made during a military honors ceremony at the Army's Special Forces Training and Education Center (Pusdiklatpassus) in Batujajar, West Bandung, on Sunday, where President Prabowo Subianto is also scheduled to appoint three new commanders of the TNI's elite combat units.
For the first time, the commanders of the Army's Special Forces Command (Kopassus), the Navy's Marine Corps, and the Air Force's Rapid Action Forces Command (Kopasgat) will hold three-star ranks.
Under a presidential regulation signed by Prabowo five days earlier, the heads of these units will now carry the rank of lieutenant general in the Army and Marine Corps, and air marshal in the Air Force.
The appointments include:
- Lieutenant General Djon Afriandi – Commander of Kopassus (promoted from major general)
- Lieutenant General Endi Supardi – Commander of the Marine Corps (promoted from major general)
- Air Marshal Deny Muis – Commander of Kopasgat (promoted from air vice marshal)
The move reflects the TNI's ongoing modernization and restructuring efforts under President Prabowo, himself a former Army special forces commander, and signals the elevated strategic importance of Indonesia's elite military units.