Army's Special Force to be reorganized

JAKARTA (JP): The Army's Special Force (Kopassus) will be reorganized to meet the demands of security environment in the future, a senior military officer said on Thursday.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the elite force would slim its organization and decrease the number of its personnel as well.

"This reorganization will make Kopassus a more effective force," Endriartono told to the press after being inducted as an honorary member of the elite force at the Kopassus headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta.

He dismissed speculation that the reorganization plan was the result of intervention by other countries.

"No, it's not true. The decision came purely from Army Headquarters," he said.

The Army chief was accompanied in the media briefing by Kopassus chief Maj. Gen. Amirul Isnaini and the Kopassus group commanders.

With the reorganization, Endriartono said, the 7,000 Kopassus personnel which are distributed in five groups will be reduced to only 5,000 in three groups.

"The remaining 2,000 personnel will be transferred to other forces in the Army," he said.

The Army chief said the reorganization was based on the Army's prediction that in the next 10 years to 15 years, the country would face greater domestic security threats rather than regional ones.

"Domestic security affairs are the responsibility of the police.

"Meanwhile, Kopassus, as a special force, will only dispatch its troops when other forces can not handle the security situation, or when the target of an operation is very strategic and difficult to execute," Endriartono said.

He said the reorganization concept for the elite force had been completed at the Army headquarters level.

"We are now waiting for the approval of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters," Endriartono said.

In 1996, the elite force was expanded from four groups to five groups.

Group I, located in Serang, Banten province and Group II, located in Kartosuro, near Surakarta, Central Java comprise combat troops.

Group III in Batujajar, Bandung, West Java, is responsible for education and training.

Groups IV and V, located in Cijantung, East Jakarta, are responsible for intelligence and anti-terrorist operations, respectively.

The 1996 reorganization also promoted the Kopassus chief from brigadier general to major general.

"The new Kopassus structure will include two combat groups, one intelligence group, a smaller anti-terrorism unit and a Kopassus Training Center" Endriartono said.

He said Kopassus' Combat Group I and Group II would be located in Serang and Kartosuro, respectively, while the intelligence Group III will be located in Cijantung.

The new Anti-Terrorism Unit, to be situated in Cijantung, will report directly to the Kopassus chief, while the Kopassus Training Center will be situated in Batujajar.

Endriartono said that due to the special tasks of Kopassus, Army leaders had decided the rank of the Kopassus chief would remain a major general. (02)