Armed Forces gets four more full generals

JAKARTA (JP): Four officers of the Armed Forces were promoted in rank yesterday to become full four-star generals, Antara reported.

Wiranto, chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), was promoted on the eve of his appointment as Army chief of staff to replace Gen. Hartono.

Hartono retired from active duty when he turned 56 yesterday. His service had already been extended for one year by President Soeharto. The mandatory retirement age for a military officer is 55.

The other three officers who now wear four stars on their shoulders are Admiral Arief Kushariadi, the Navy chief of staff, Marshall Sutria Tubagus, the Air Force chief of staff, and General Dibyo Widodo, the chief of National Police.

The positions of chief of staff and chief of National Police have usually been held by four-star generals. Arief, Sutria and Dibyo have held their posts since March last year but were only promoted in rank yesterday.

Wiranto is scheduled to be installed in his new post in a ceremony today which will also see Hartono appointed as information minister, and Harmoko, whom Hartono will replace, as state minister of special assignments.

The ceremony will be led by President Soeharto.

Five other officers, who were on the latest major tours of duty in the Army, were also promoted in rank yesterday, according to Antara. They were:

* Subagyo H.S., chief of the Diponegoro Military Command in Central Java, became a lieutenant general. He was promoted yesterday to become deputy Army chief of staff to replace Lt. Gen. F.X. Sudjasmin, who retired last week.

* Sugiono, the chief of the Presidential Security Guard Command, who will become the new Kostrad chief, was promoted to become a lieutenant general.

* Mardiyanto, deputy governor of the Military Academy and soon to be Diponegoro Military Command chief, became a major general.

* Sutarto, deputy to the Army chief of staff's assistant for operations, was promoted to chief of the Presidential Security Guard Command as a major general.

* Frans de Wanna, formerly Manokwari military chief in Irian Jaya, was promoted to become head of the Center for Biak Integrated Economic Development in Irian Jaya. His new rank is brigadier general.

The newly promoted officers reported for duty yesterday to Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung. (emb)