ABRI reshuffles another hundred senior officers
ABRI reshuffles another hundred senior officers
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) announced yesterday a
reshuffle affecting more than 100 senior officers in all four
services, including the reassignment of onetime rising star Maj.
Gen. A.M. Hendropriyono.
ABRI Chief Spokesman Brig. Gen. Amir Syarifudin told Antara
that Hendro would be recalled to ABRI headquarters, pending a new
assignment in a civilian position.
Amir did not elaborate, but Suara Pembaruan daily reported
yesterday that Hendro, currently chief of the Army Training
School in Bandung, will be given the post of secretary for
development operations, a strategic position under the
supervision of the State Secretariat.
Some military analysts said the new civilian post would end
his military career. Hendro is currently 51 years old; the
mandatory retirement age for military officers is 55 years.
A 1967 graduate of the Military Academy, Hendro was once
regarded as one of the Army's most promising rising stars when he
became the youngest ever chief of a regional military command. He
became chief of the Jakarta Regional Military Command at the age
of 48 in 1993.
Latest reshuffle
Amir said the latest reshuffle in the military affects 108
senior officers. As stipulated in a Sept. 16 decree by ABRI Chief
Gen. Feisal Tanjung, 52 Army officers, 24 Navy officers, 13 Air
Force officers, and 19 officers of the National Police are being
moved.
Another major important change, announced Saturday, was the
replacement of the current assistant to the chief of
sociopolitical affairs, Maj. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo, who is
nearing the mandatory retirement age of 55.
He will be replaced by his deputy, Brig. Gen. Budi Harsono,
who will become the new assistant to Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid.
Suwarno will be recalled to the armed forces headquarters before
he retires.
The commandant of the Bandung-based Infantry Weapons Center,
Maj. Gen. Rachmad Mokoginta, is also being moved as he too is
preparing for his retirement. He will be replaced by his deputy
Brig. Gen. Luhut Panjaitan.
Changes in the Navy include the reassignment of Maj. Gen.
(Marine) Gafur Chalik, currently aide to the ABRI chief, to the
Navy headquarters to prepare for his retirement.
Commodore Freddy Numberi, currently aide to the navy Chief of
Staff, will be assigned as Chief of the Fifth Sea Born Command
based in Irian Jaya, and Brig. Gen. (Marine) Benyamin Balukh,
will be assigned as deputy chief of the Armed Forces School of
Command.
In the Air Force, Rear Marshall Sadeli Kalman, chief of the
Air Force's Maintenance Division will be replaced by Commodore
Syaiful Kartimunaf.
In the National Police, Brig. Gen. Soerpadi will be assigned
as the new director for operational education at the National
Resilience Institute, replacing Brig. Gen. I Wayan Karya. (imn)