Defence Minister Targets 2026: One Territorial Development Battalion to Guard Each Regency and City on the Island of Java

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said that all regencies and cities on the Island of Java will be guarded by one Territorial Development Battalion this year. He explained that each year, 150 Territorial Development Battalions are planned to be formed. ‘We target 150 battalions each year to cover 514 regencies. God willing, by 2026 all regencies in the Java region will be guarded by one Territorial Infantry Development Battalion,’ Sjafrie told a working meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (19/5).

He said the Territorial Development Battalion consists of several companies, including an agriculture company, a livestock company, a health company, and an engineers company. ‘In this battalion the core is a combat battalion, but it is equipped with TP. TP stands for Territorial Development,’ he said.

He claimed the existence of the Territorial Development Battalion has had a positive impact in the region. Sjafrie cited that crime levels in a district have declined since the battalion was established. ‘Previously there was no troops in the district. What happened? Robbery, crime, were very high. But after we were there, establishing a base, and that base has now become established, with training, capability and so on. The robberies in that area dropped by more than 50 percent, crime has disappeared,’ he said.

He explained that the soldiers in the battalion also have duties including patrols. In addition, he noted that the presence of soldiers also boosted the economy in villages. ‘For example, the lowest salary for a soldier is Rp6 million per person. If there are 1,000 soldiers in a battalion and each spends Rp1 million every month, that amounts to Rp1 billion in the villages and districts where they are based. That stimulates SMEs,’ he said.