Parliamentary Committee Member Raises Concerns Over Public Disclosure of Military Alert Status
JAKARTA — A member of Commission I of the Indonesian Parliament, Tubagus Hasanuddin, has questioned the disclosure of information regarding a telegram (STR) from the TNI Commander ordering an increase in military alert status to level 1.
According to him, the telegram containing military alert instructions should remain internal and classified, and ought not to be disclosed to the general public.
“The telegram is fine, there is no problem. Because what is called an alert serves as a means and infrastructure to increase the preparedness of soldiers, both in terms of personnel and materiel, whether for exercises or preparation to conduct operations,” said Hasanuddin on Monday (9 March 2026).
“What I question and find rather odd is that an alert should meet two requirements, not just one. First, it is an internal matter. Second, it is classified as military secrets,” he added.
The retired TNI officer expressed concern that disclosing such information could potentially generate unease among the public, particularly amid the conflict situation currently occurring in the Middle East region.
“First, it is internal in nature, so why was the public informed? It became open. So people start wondering, ‘What is this going to lead to?’ because of the situation in the Middle East, people become anxious and worried,” he said.
Beyond the issue of information disclosure, Hasanuddin also criticised the alignment between the rationale for issuing the telegram and the actual deployment of troops in the field.
“The statement mentions this is in response to developments in the security situation due to the war between Iran, America, and Israel in the Middle East, therefore the situation was declared alert level 1,” explained Hasanuddin.
“If we look at it, that war uses missiles, drones, and aircraft. But if the troops deployed are regular units for patrols in streets on land, then it is irrelevant,” he added.
It was previously reported that TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto ordered all ranks of the TNI to increase alert status to level 1 to anticipate the development of an increasingly dynamic global situation, particularly the escalation of conflict in the Middle East region.
The order is contained in TNI Commander Telegram Number TR/283/2026, signed by the TNI Commander’s Operations Assistant Lieutenant General Bobby Rinal Makmun on 1 March 2026.
The Head of the TNI Information Centre, Major General Aulia Dwi Nasrullah, explained that the elevation of alert status is part of the TNI’s primary duty in safeguarding national security.