Prabowo Revives Deputy Military Chief Post After 25 Years

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto is set to appoint a Deputy Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) during a military parade and honors ceremony at the Army’s Special Forces Training and Education Center (Pusdiklatpassus) in Batujajar, West Bandung, West Java, on Sunday, August 10, 2025.

The appointment marks a historic moment — the post has been vacant for nearly 25 years. The last person to hold the position was General (ret.) Fachrul Razi, who served from October 26, 1999, to September 20, 2000. The role was later abolished by Indonesia’s fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid, widely known as Gus Dur, as part of a structural streamlining of the military.

The position was revived under President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Indonesia’s seventh president, through a presidential regulation. Now, under President Prabowo’s administration, it will be filled for the first time in his term.

Lieutenant General Tandyo Budi Revita Emerges as Leading Candidate

In the lead-up to the ceremony, speculation has grown that Lieutenant General Tandyo Budi Revita — currently serving as Deputy Army Chief of Staff — will be appointed to the post.

For weeks, his name has been widely mentioned as the frontrunner. A leaked event rundown listed him as the official to be sworn in.

Tandyo has an extensive military career, previously holding key positions including regional military commander and senior roles at the Ministry of Defense.

Complex Demands on the Military Chief

Anton Aliabbas, head of the Center for Intermestic and Diplomatic Engagement (CIDE), said the revival of the deputy commander role reflects the growing complexity of the TNI commander’s responsibilities.

According to Anton, the duties currently handled by the military’s chief of general staff are no longer sufficient to manage the expanding scope of the armed forces’ work.

“The role played by the chief of general staff seems insufficient to balance the complexity of today’s tasks, hence the need to reinstate the deputy commander position,” Anton said in a statement on Friday, August 8.

He pointed to several key factors behind the move, including:

The broadening of the TNI’s mandate and operational scope following the passage of Law No. 3 of 2025 on the Armed Forces.

The issuance of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 85 of 2025 on the Ministry of Defense, which redefines the ministry’s relationship with the TNI.

These changes, Anton said, mean the TNI commander will increasingly need a second-in-command to share the workload.

“The new provisions significantly alter the scope and pattern of relations between the Defense Ministry and the TNI in managing national defense,” Anton said. “Like it or not, the TNI commander will need backup in day-to-day duties.”

Based on New Regulation

The reinstatement of the deputy commander role is based on Presidential Regulation No. 84 of 2025, which amends Presidential Regulation No. 66 of 2019.

Under the updated rules, the deputy commander is designated as a strategic position to be held by a four-star general. The regulation does not specify detailed duties or qualifications for the role, but the earlier 2019 regulation listed four main functions:

1. Assisting the commander in daily operations.
2. Advising the commander on national defense policy, force posture, doctrine development, military strategy, and the development and deployment of TNI capabilities.
3. Acting in the commander’s place if the latter is temporarily or permanently unable to serve.
4. Carrying out other duties assigned by the commander.