Five Participants Die, Ministry of Defence Explains KDMP Military Basic Training
Five prospective managers of the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative (KDKMP) and Merah Putih Fishing Village (KNMP) have reportedly died while undergoing military basic training (latsarmil) for the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme as of Friday (26/6/2026). The participants reportedly experienced health problems during the programme.
Head of the Defence Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM) at the Ministry of Defence, Major General Ketut Gede Wetan Pastia, stated that the state defence and managerial training is conducted to shape character, discipline, and a spirit of service to the community. He explained that the KDKMP and KNMP programme correlates with national defence, particularly in strengthening the people’s economy.
"We need to emphasise that this activity is not aimed at turning participants into soldiers or military members. The participants remain in their civilian professions and assignments as prospective managers of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative and Merah Putih Fishing Village," Ketut said during a press conference at the Ministry of Defence, Central Jakarta, Saturday (27/6/2026).
According to him, a strong people’s economy is part of national resilience. Therefore, shaping cooperative managers who possess character, integrity, discipline, and leadership spirit is an important part of supporting national development and national defence in a broad sense.
Ketut claimed the state defence and managerial training is structured in a measured way, especially since the participants are civilians. "This activity is not equated with military or soldier education. The emphasis is not on physical ability, but on building mentality, character, responsibility, fighting spirit, cooperation, and problem-solving skills," Ketut said.
Nevertheless, his party will conduct an evaluation of the programme, including the health aspect. This is done under the direction of the Minister of Defence. "Under the direction of the Minister of Defence, the organisers have conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the health aspect, including medical supervision, health profiling, adjustment of activity intensity, referral systems, and early detection mechanisms for participants with risk factors," Ketut said.