TNI Commander Urges Kostrad to Prepare for Global Conflict

The Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), General Agus Subiyanto, has asked the Strategic Reserve Command of the Indonesian Army (Kostrad) to prepare for a looming global conflict that is increasingly tense. Kostrad is the main combat operations command (Kotamaops) of the Indonesian Army and its largest elite fighting force, serving as the strategic reserve. Agus emphasised that all preparations must be undertaken to protect the country from the impacts of international conflicts whose escalation is increasing. During Kostrad’s 65th anniversary celebrations held at the Field of the Divisional Headquarters of Kostrad, Depok, West Java, on Friday, 6 March 2026, reported by Antara. According to Agus, the character of warfare in the modern era has changed. While the battlefield used to be limited to physical fighting, it now extends to the use of media and cyber attacks. Therefore, he said, conventional and modern defence must be strengthened to anticipate a range of attacks threatening national security. The former Chief of Staff of the Army then instructed his troops to always be ready to fight. “Facing these multidimensional threats, I order that Kostrad must always be ready to fight and to win in every spectrum of warfare,” he said. Kostrad, he continued, is a strike force with a crucial role in maintaining Indonesia’s territorial security. Therefore, he asked Kostrad units to continually enhance their combat capabilities and soldiers’ defence to anticipate attacks from all sides. By mastering modern and conventional defence capabilities, Agus believes Kostrad will be better able to deter all forms of threats arising from international conflicts. “As the Commander of the TNI, I am confident and optimistic that Kostrad will continue to stand tall as the pride of the Indonesian people,” he said. Global escalation has heated up after the United States, allied with Israel, launched missiles at Iran on Saturday, 26 February 2026. The attack killed several Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by launching counter-attacks on several US military bases in Gulf region, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. This war erupted after the US and Iran failed to reach an agreement on the use of nuclear weapons in negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on 26 February 2026.