TNI Targets Cyber Talent: Competition Winners Can Enter Central-Level Selection
The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Headquarters has begun targeting cyber security talent from outside the institution to strengthen digital defence. Winners of the Rise The Ranger 2 Cyber Competition 2026 even have the opportunity to enter soldier recruitment selection directly at the central level.
Commander of the TNI Cyber Unit (Dansatsiber), Brigadier General Juinta Omboh (J.O.) Sembiring, said the opportunity has received the green light from TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto. The offer is primarily extended to finalists who achieve first, second, and third place.
“We strongly believe that for the finalists who win first, second, and third place, if they are willing to become TNI personnel, the TNI Commander has opened the opportunity for them to undergo selection directly at the central level,” Sembiring said at TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Monday (24/8/2026).
The opportunity does not mean the winners are automatically accepted as soldiers. They must still undergo the selection process. However, the direct route to the central level opens the opportunity for the TNI to directly recruit individuals whose technical abilities have been tested in cyber security competitions.
The move reflects a shift in defence human resource requirements. Modern military combat capability no longer depends solely on proficiency with conventional weapons. The ability to identify network vulnerabilities, identify attackers, defend systems, and restore infrastructure after an attack has now become an important part of national defence.
Sembiring said cyber talent who choose to join as soldiers are expected to strengthen the TNI’s ability to face evolving threats in the digital domain.
This year’s Rise The Ranger 2 competition recorded 638 registered teams. After the verification process, 543 teams with a total of 1,397 participants took part in the competition. The number of participants also set a record with the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) for the highest participation in a cyber competition in Indonesia.
Participants came from the general public and university students. They tested their abilities in three disciplines representing different stages of responding to digital attacks: attack and defence, digital forensics, and incident response.
In the online qualifying round on 15 August, 142 teams participated in attack and defence, 111 teams competed in digital forensics, and 108 teams took part in incident response. From these stages, the top six teams in each category were selected to compete in person at TNI Headquarters. Digital forensics was one of the new categories in this year’s event.
The attack and defence competition required participants to perform two tasks that can occur simultaneously in real-world conditions: defending their own systems while identifying and exploiting weaknesses in opponents’ systems.