Head of Bappisus on TNI Commander's Alert Level 1 Order: Standard Procedure Before Eid
The head of the Special Development Control and Investigation Agency (Bappisus), Aris Marsudiyanto, has responded to a telegram from TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto ordering military units to activate alert level 1 (siaga 1), describing it as a routine standard operating procedure ahead of Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
“It’s a routine SOP to maintain conducive conditions for all our citizens during the Eid holiday and the homecoming period when people return to their villages,” Aris said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday (10 March).
TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto had ordered military units to alert status 1 and prepare anticipatory measures in response to developments arising from the Middle East conflict. The TNI Commander’s telegram number TR/283/2026, signed by Deputy Commander for Operations Lieutenant General Bobby Rinal Makmun on 1 March 2026, contained seven instructions requiring units to activate alert status whilst preparing strategic steps domestically in case escalation from the Iran–US–Israel conflict persisted.
The order has attracted criticism. A Coalition of Civil Society for Security Sector Reform, comprising Imparsial, YLBHI, KontraS, Amnesty International Indonesia, Human Rights Working Group, WALHI, Centra Initiative, ICW, LBH Jakarta, and SETARA Institute, has demanded that the President and Parliament revoke the telegram.
“The coalition urges the President and Parliament to evaluate and revoke the telegram because it is inconsistent with the Constitution and lacks any compelling urgency,” the coalition stated in a press release on Monday (9 March).
The coalition asserted that President Prabowo cannot remain silent on this matter. They argue that if Prabowo allows the order to stand, it signals that he is deliberately permitting this to occur for regime interests in confronting groups critical of his authority.
“Considering that recently the President’s actions have faced considerable public criticism and rejection, this suggests the government is employing fear politics against the population. If the President does not revoke this telegram, that becomes evident,” they stated.
The coalition contends that the telegram violates the Constitution, as military force deployment authority should lie with the President, not the TNI Commander. They cite Article 10 of the 1945 Constitution, which designates the President as holder of supreme authority over the army, navy, and air force, and Article 17 of Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the TNI, which confirms that authority to deploy TNI forces rests with the President.