Four admirals proposed for Navy chief

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta

The Navy has proposed four three-star admirals as candidates to replace Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Bernard Kent Sondakh, who reached his mandatory retirement age of 55 two years ago.

The four admirals are Vice adm. I Wayan Rampeh Argawa, the current Navy deputy chief of staff; Vice. Adm. Slamet Subianto, the deputy governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas); Vice Adm. Sumardjono, the commander of the Staff and Command College in Bandung; and Vice Adm. Djoko Sumarjono, the current secretary of the Office of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.

"I have proposed names of the candidates on the shortlist to fill the Navy's top post. I, however, will not interfere in the selection process," said Bernard.

He said that the decision would be made by the Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. General Endriartono Sutarto.

Earlier, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu also said that he had prepared three names, including two of its three-star generals, to replace him.

Ryamizard declined to name the generals, but some have suggested that his deputy, Lt. Gen. Djoko Santoso, or the incumbent commander of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. Hadi Waluyo, would be the strongest candidates for the Army's top post.

Rumors over a planned reshuffle affecting all three chiefs of staff have been rife since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's announcement that he would replace Endriartono this month.

Law No. 34/2004 stipulates that the President can only propose senior officers -- who have held a position at least as high as a chief of staff -- to the House of Representatives as candidates for the TNI Commander.

Apart from the Navy and Army chiefs of staff, the current Air Force chief Marshall Chappy Hakim has also reached his mandatory retirement age in 2003, although the president extended his term of service.

Chappy, however, has yet to disclose any names for his likely successor.

Citing regeneration among the military, Ryamizard is considered the strongest candidate to replace Endriartono, because he is the youngest among the military chiefs of staff. Ryamizard will be 55 in April of this year, but the President can extend his term of service for another five years.

One source, however, has said that the TNI headquarters has decided to replace all of the chiefs of staff before replacing the TNI Commander.