Hartono reorganizes Kopassus

Hartono reorganizes Kopassus

JAKARTA (JP): The long-awaited reorganization of the Army's
special force (Kopassus) began yesterday with the announcement
that its size is being enlarged and its weaponry modernized.

The force, which has an impressive record of putting down
rebellions and of countering insurgency and terrorism, is being
expanded from four to five groups, one of which will focus on
counter-terrorism, and its size expanded from 6,000 to 10,000
troopers.

Brig. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, its current commandant, is likely
to retain his job at the head of the force, with a new title:
commandant-general. His new position is subject to confirmation
from President Soeharto, the supreme commander of the Armed
Forces and Prabowo's father-in-law.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono, who led the announcement
ceremony at Kopassus' Cijantung headquarters in East Jakarta
yesterday, declined to confirm Prabowo's promotion.

But he did not quash the rumor either.

"Looking at his performance, what do you think of the
probability?" he asked back when reporters chased him for
confirmation. "If you think he (Prabowo) deserves the post, then
I think so too," he said.

"We are awaiting a presidential decree on who will lead
Kopassus. We hope it will be issued soon," he added.

So likely is Prabowo's new appointment that many people,
including Hartono in his speech, addressed him as the commandant-
general during the ceremony yesterday.

Prabowo, a 1974 graduate of the National Military Academy, is
expected to be promoted soon given that the commandant-general is
reserved for a major general. Should that happen, this will be
his second promotion in seven months.

He was promoted to his current rank last December when he
assumed the Kopassus' leadership, becoming the first among his
Class of 1974 to reach the rank of general.

The 44-year old Prabowo is highly regarded among his peers.
He won plaudits for the way he personally handled the operation
to secure the release of a group of Indonesian and European
scientists kidnapped by Irian Jaya separatist rebels in January.

The hostages were freed in May through the use of force after
attempts to negotiate their release failed. Two of the remaining
11 hostages were killed by the rebels during the rescue
operation.

Prabowo, the son of Indonesia's economic guru Soemitro
Djojohadikusumo, also had success in dealing with separatist
rebels in East Timor.

In an interview published by Kompas yesterday, Prabowo said
his marriage to President Soeharto's daughter Siti Hedyati
Hariyadi was neither an advantage nor a burden to his Army
career.

In the newly reorganized Kopassus, the commandant-general will
be assisted by a deputy of brigadier general rank. It is not
immediately clear if the post will go to Col. Idris Gasing, the
deputy of the old Kopassus organization.

Before the reorganization the force was divided into three
groups plus the Detachment '81, considered the most elite unit.
Now Kopassus consists of five groups: two for combat operations,
one for education and training, one for intelligence operations,
and one for anti-terrorist operations.

Combat I group, which is based in Serang, West Java, is headed
by Col. Syaiful Rizal; Combat II, based in Kartasuro, near
Surakarta Central Java, is headed by Col. Slamat Sidabutar; Group
III dealing with education and training, based in Batu Jajar near
Garut in West Java, is headed by Col. Harry Pysand; Group IV for
intelligence operation is headed by Lt. Col. Ch. A. Irawan and
Group V for anti-terrorist operation is commanded by Col.
Zamroni. Both Group IV and V are based in Cijantung, East
Jakarta.

Hartono did not give details of Kopassus' plans to upgrade its
weaponry.

In the Kompas interview, Prabowo said the enlargement of
Kopassus to 10,000 personnel was reasonable, not only because of
the huge area that the force must cover, but also because of the
multiple problems it has to deal with, including insurgences in
East Timor, Irian Jaya and Aceh.

He said Thailand, a country which is smaller in size than
Indonesia, also maintains a 10,000-strong special force.

Present at the ceremony yesterday were Chief of Army's
Education Center Maj. Gen. Hendropriyono, Jakarta Military Chief
Maj. Gen. Soetiyoso, West Java military chief Maj. Gen. Tayo
Tarmadi, Central Java military chief Maj. Gen. Subagyo, East Java
military chief Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo and Maj. Gen. A Rivai, chief
of the Udayana military command overseeing Bali, Nusa Tenggara
and East Timor. (rms)