Army unveils major reshuffle

Army unveils major reshuffle

Tiarma Siboro
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

The Army unveiled a major reshuffle on Friday, replacing Jakarta
Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso with Pattimura
Military Commander Maj. Gen. Agus Tadi.

Djoko, who graduated from the Military Academy (Akabri) in
1975, will reportedly be promoted to a three-star general and
replace Army deputy chief Lt. Gen. Sudarsono, who is about to
reach the mandatory retirement age of 55.

"The Army completed a reshuffle of high-ranking and middle-
ranking officers last week. Some 30 officers have been
transferred to new posts, including five regional military
commanders," Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said after
breaking the fast at the Jakarta Military Headquarters in East
Jakarta.

"Maj. Gen. Agus Tadi will soon be assigned to Jakarta to
replace Pak Djoko (Santoso). Djoko will replace another military
officer who will soon retire," Ryamizard said without
elaborating.

Agus Tadi was Ryamizard's classmate at Akabri. They both
graduated from the academy in 1974.

Agus Tadi's position in Pattimura will be assumed by his chief
of staff, Brig. Gen. Syarifuddin Suma, a 1973 Akabri graduate.

Ryamizard declined to comment on why the Jakarta Military
commander was being replaced ahead of the 2004 general election.

The general also appointed Maj. Gen. Soenarso, a 1973 academy
graduate, to fill the post of Diponegoro Military commander,
which has been vacant since the death of Maj. Gen. Amirul
Isnaini, a 1975 Akabri graduate, due to cancer in June.

Soenarso is the current Sriwijaya Military commander
overseeing South Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and Lampung provinces.

His chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Syahrial, will take over as the
head of the Sriwijaya Military Command.

Maj. Gen. Agus Yitno, the head of the Udayana Military Command
overseeing Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggara, will be replaced by
Brig. Gen. Supiadin Yusus, a 1975 Akabri graduate. Supiadin is
currently the chief of staff of the Tanjungpura Military Command.

Agus, according to Ryamizard, take over as the Army's
territorial commander, replacing Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon.

There were rumors last week that the reshuffle would also
affect top-level military officers at the Indonesian Military
(TNI) Headquarters in Cilangkap, with some suggesting that TNI
chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto would be replaced by Marshall
Chappy Hakim, the Air Force commander.

According to the rumors, Endriartono would move into the post
of defense minister, replacing Matori Abdul Djalil, who is
suffering from a serious illness and is being treated at the
Mount Elizabeth General Hospital in Singapore.