Defence Ministry Scraps Shooting Drills for Village Cooperative Manager Candidates
The Ministry of Defence, as part of the National Selection Committee, has conducted a total evaluation and adjusted the format of the briefing for participants in the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme. The adjustment targets prospective managers of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives and Merah Putih Fishing Villages.
Head of the Defence Information and Communication Bureau at the Ministry’s Secretariat General, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, confirmed that the format previously known as Basic Military Training (Latsarmil) has been officially abolished and is now focused on managerial skills. “Currently, the activity is directed towards national defence awareness and managerial training. The aim is not to turn participants into soldiers or reserve components, but to build character, discipline, leadership, national insight, responsibility, cooperation, and managerial readiness,” Rico stated on Thursday.
Under the new scheme, the Ministry of Defence has ensured that all technical and tactical military materials have been completely eliminated from the curriculum. He stated that combat materials, shooting drills, rifle squad tactics, and other tactical military techniques have been removed. Furthermore, physical training in the sense of military doctrine has been scrapped. Physical activity has been replaced with light exercises such as morning callisthenics or walking to maintain fitness. The training load has also been adjusted personally according to each participant’s physical limits and condition.
Rico added that health standardisation has been tightened to guarantee safety during the briefing period. The committee has implemented a daily monitoring system, advanced health profiling, and specific examinations for participants detected with risk factors for certain diseases. The mechanism for reporting complaints and medical referrals to external health facilities has also been accelerated. Participants with specific medical indications will receive special attention and dispensation so they are not burdened with activities exceeding their health capacity.
As an accommodative measure towards families’ aspirations, the committee now permits the use of mobile phones at scheduled times to maintain positive communication. Participants are also allowed to receive parcels from their families through a unit-controlled mechanism to maintain morale without causing social disparity. Rico further stated that if participants encounter obstacles during the briefing, they are encouraged to report them through established channels, whether to trainers, supervisors, health workers, or unit leaders. He stressed that all input and issues will be followed up promptly. “The Ministry of Defence and the entire national selection committee will continue to evaluate and refine the programme so that it runs safely, proportionally, educationally, and in line with the national programme’s objectives,” he concluded.