Circulation of PANRB Minister's Letter on Civil Servants Becoming Military Reserve Components
A circular letter from State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform Minister (PANRB) Rini Widyantini has circulated publicly, numbered B/22/M.SM.00.00/2026, concerning the participation of Civil Apparatus (ASN), including civil servants (PNS), as reserve components (komcad) in support of national defence efforts.
In the letter dated 20 February 2026 addressed to Cabinet Ministers of the Red and White Cabinet, Rini requested that ASN members participate in Basic Military Training (Latsarmil) for Komcad. The participation of Indonesian Citizens as komcad, Rini stated, represents a concrete realisation of national defence as an implementation of the Second Asta Cita.
The circular implements a letter from the Defence Ministry Secretary General numbered B/352/KTH.00.00.02/BACADNAS dated 11 February 2026 regarding a request for recommendation letters to participate in Latsarmil Komcad and a PANRB circular number 27 of 2021 concerning the participation of ASN employees as Komcad in support of national defence efforts.
“The government through the Defence Ministry is opening opportunities for Indonesian citizens to join the National Komcad. ASN employees are expected to be part of this initiative,” according to the letter, which has also circulated on social media platform X on Friday (27 February 2026).
The letter, reposted on the X account @MurtadhaOne1, states that Latsarmil for ASN is part of efforts to strengthen the national defence and security system, and to encourage national independence so that the nation is able to uphold state sovereignty, protect national safety, and maintain territorial integrity from various forms of threat.
In the letter, the government expects personnel management officials to recommend ASN employees in their institutions who meet administrative and competency requirements to become komcad as an effort to realise integration of national defence components in the Active Defensive Defence Strategy.
ASN employees recommended to participate in Latsarmil Komcad organised by the Defence Ministry must meet the following requirements:
Aged minimum 18 years and maximum 35 years
In good physical and mental health
Have no criminal record issued in writing by the Indonesian National Police
The number of ASN sent must comply with the attached quota
For ASN employees declared to have passed administrative and competency selection as komcad candidates, they are required to undergo 45 days (1.5 months) of basic military training and will receive allowances, personal field equipment, healthcare provision, and work accident insurance coverage as well as death benefits.
“They continue to receive their salary, performance allowances and position allowances, as when carrying out official duties at their institution,” as stated in the PANRB Minister’s letter that has circulated.
ASN employees participating in komcad basic military training will also receive 300 hours of learning (JP) in competency development in accordance with Government Regulation 17/2020 on Civil Servant Management, as part of the obligation to meet the Professionalism Index (IP) for ASN, which requires 20 JP annually.
From a career development perspective, Personnel Management Officials (PPK) or Talent Committees may give positive consideration with higher performance as recognition of the competency and ability demonstrated when implementing talent classification for ASN designated as komcad, opening opportunities for career and talent development to become role models for other ASN.
The komcad quota for each institution is detailed in the PANRB Minister’s letter for the 49 ministries of the Red and White Cabinet. The total quota is 4,400 people, divided into two waves of 2,200 people each.
CNBC Indonesia has confirmed the authenticity of this circular with the government, particularly the PANRB Ministry. However, the PANRB Ministry requested time to respond and had not provided a response by the time this information circulated publicly.
Nevertheless, the Defence Ministry Secretary General’s Information Chief, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, had previously stated that approximately 4,000 ASN will be trained to become Reserve Components (Komcad). The Defence Ministry stated that those to be trained do so on a voluntary basis.
“It remains voluntary in nature. Let this be clear. The requirement is that it is voluntary. So there is no element of coercion, obligation, or anything of the sort, none,” said Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, the Defence Ministry Secretary General’s Information Chief, in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (25 February 2026), as reported by detikcom.
Rico stated that his office is only providing the quota, but the number of ASN participating in the training depends on the decision of the relevant ministry. Additionally, said Rico, selection will be conducted for those who will participate in the training.
“Usually it will be determined from, for example, if Ministry A has 1,000 people, Ministry B has 500 people, then the quota from Ministry A might only be 50 people, Ministry B only 10 people. The quota is adjusted according to the number of human resources available there,” he said.
Rico stated that training will commence in April 2026. Training will be divided into two waves, with each comprising 2,000 ASN.
“So the first wave is 2,000 people, then conducted for one and a half months. Followed by the second wave of 2,000 people for the next one and a half months,” he said.