When Hundreds of State-Owned Enterprise Employees with High IQ Are Militarily Trained, What's the Purpose?

Jakarta — Hundreds of state-owned enterprise employees are being subjected to military-style training in the barracks of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). Some 400 SOE employees are donning combat helmets and black boots. They are posing stiffly and lining up neatly on the grass field. They are taking part in discipline and character-building training at the Komando Pembinaan Doktrin, Pendidikan, dan Latihan (Kodiklat) of the TNI, Buaran, Serpong, South Tangerang. They are participants in the Presidential Future Leaders Programme (PFLP) for SOE employees, Batch 1, Financial Year 2026. The programme was opened by Deputy Defence Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto at a ceremony held at Kodiklat TNI on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. The participants were described as “the nation’s future leaders” to be nurtured as an investment in Indonesia’s human resources for the future because they possess an Intelligence Quotient above 120. Donny said that President Prabowo Subianto desires his government to have good governance and performance, supported by high-quality human resources. “In other words, to have both a noble heart and a sharp mind. So, that is what the President expects,” Donny said. In the first period, participants came from newly recruited SOE employees within the last two years. “We are empowering the newly recruited employees—to select and train them in this programme,” Donny said. Of the 1,068 employees invited to the selection, around 700 attended and 400 passed the first batch. The participants comprise 272 men and 128 women. Donny said the PFLP Batch 1 programme will run for nine months. The first three months take place at Kodiklat TNI, the next four months at Danantara Corporate University, and the final two months consist of an internship programme at several ministries, agencies, bodies, and SOEs.