ABRI reshuffles more senior army generals
ABRI reshuffles more senior army generals
JAKARTA (JP): Maj. Gen. Wiranto, the current chief of the
Jakarta Regional Military Command, has been appointed to head the
Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) in another major
reshuffling of the military's top leadership.
ABRI Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Soeyono announced that
Wiranto will replace Maj. Gen. Tarub, who is being considered for
an ambassadorial post.
Wiranto's current post, which carries the major responsibility
of overseeing the security of the nation's capital, will go to
Brig. Gen. Sutiyoso, currently the chief of staff of the Jakarta
Regional Military Command.
Wiranto's appointment came as a major surprise for senior
military officers, who have repeatedly said that all the regional
military command chiefs in the country would be maintained until
after the 1997 election.
No explanation was given for 49-year-old Wiranto's
appointment.
Although the move is seen as a promotion, he is moving from a
high profile job to one of less public visibility.
The announcement comes only a few days after the last military
reshuffle, which appointed Rear Admiral Arief Kushariadi to Navy
Chief of Staff, Rear Marshal Sutria Tubagus to Air Force Chief of
Staff and Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo to National Police Chief. The
three men will be sworn by President Soeharto at the State Palace
today.
Soeyono said Wiranto will be sworn in as Kostrad chief before
ABRI holds its annual leadership meeting on March 25.
Promotion
Wiranto will also have his rank promoted, making him the first
Kostrad chief to hold the rank of lieutenant general. In the
past, the position has been held by major generals.
"This is a one-off case," Soeyono said when asked if all
Kostrad chiefs in the future would hold lieutenant general rank.
Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung was questioned last
week by legislators about the presence of three Army lieutenant
generals who are jobless: Soerjadi, Sofian Effendi and Moch.
Ma'ruf. His staff responded that Soerjadi will concentrate on his
job in the Badminton Association of Indonesia, Sofian will soon
assume the post as governor of the National Resilience Institute
and Ma'ruf will be given an ambassadorial post.
Tarub, 54, will also be promoted to lieutenant general. He is
reportedly being considered for an ambassadorial post in Papua
New Guinea.
Wiranto is a 1968 graduate of the National Military Academy.
He began his military career in 1969 as a platoon commander in
Manado, North Sulawesi, and spent the following 14 years in the
province. He moved to the Army's Infantry Weapon Center from 1984
to 1985 and was given a commanding post in Kostrad from 1985 to
1989.
He served as President Soeharto's adjutant between 1989 and
1993, as chief of staff of the Jakarta military command in 1993
and in 1994 became chief of the Jakarta military command.
His successor, Sutiyoso, is also 49 years old and a 1969
Military Academy graduate.
Sutiyoso built his military career in the Army's special
force, Kopassus, and moved to Kostrad in 1988. He returned to
Kopassus as deputy chief between 1992 and 1993, and was then made
chief of Bogor military command. In December he became chief of
staff of the Jakarta Military Command.
Sutiyoso's successor as chief of staff is Yudhoyono, a 1973
graduate of the Military Academy. His last position was as head
of the Indonesian team of military observers to Bosnia-
Herzegovina. (rms/04)
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