Prabowo Summons National Defence Advisor to the Palace

President Prabowo Subianto summoned his Special Presidential Advisor on National Defence Affairs, TNI General (retired) Dudung Abdurachman, to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. Dudung fulfilled the summons on Tuesday, 21 April 2026.

Dudung stated that he was contacted by phone by Prabowo’s aide from the previous night. “Last night I was called by the aide, saying that I was asked to meet the President at three o’clock this afternoon,” Dudung said upon arriving at the Palace.

Nevertheless, Dudung was not yet aware of the reason Prabowo wanted to summon him. He suspected that the Gerindra Party General Chairman wanted to seek input and advice from him as the president’s advisor in the field of defence.

He stated that he was ready to discuss national and international defence issues with Prabowo. “Usually, he likes to ask for advice and input from us as advisors,” he said.

Dudung was also asked about his views on the Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP), which was signed by Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, 14 April 2026.

“That’s been going on for a long time, and it seems our cooperation with America will continue. But on principled matters, I think he (Prabowo) will know better. I will also ask him later,” Dudung said.

Dudung Abdurachman is the former Chief of Staff of the Indonesian National Army (TNI AD). He served from 2021 to 2023. Before becoming KSAD, Dudung held positions as Commander of the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Pangkostrad), Commander of the Jayakarta Military Regional Command (Pangdam Jaya), and Governor of the Military Academy in Magelang. In 2024, Dudung was appointed by Prabowo as Special Presidential Advisor on National Defence, and Chairman of the Defence Industry Policy Committee.