Defense Minister Sjafrie: Our Guiding Principle is the Constitution, National Interests Above Groups!

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin emphasized that all employees and officials of the Ministry of Defense (Kemenhan) must make the constitution their main guide in carrying out their duties.

Sjafrie also reminded his subordinates that they must prioritize national interests above personal and group interests.

"The duty of national defense is a constitutional mandate. All members of the Ministry of Defense must work with full unity, discipline, hard work, and cooperation," said Sjafrie while addressing 3,000 employees and officials of the ministry at the University of Defense (Unhan) in Bogor Regency on Wednesday (11/11/2026), as quoted from a press release.

"Our main guide is to implement policies based on the constitution and prioritize national interests over personal or group interests," he continued.

Additionally, Sjafrie urged Kemenhan employees and officials to be sensitive to national and global dynamics.

Therefore, all members of Kemenhan are called to be vigilant and self-aware.

"The Minister of Defense asked all leaders and frontline personnel to always be sensitive, self-aware, and increase their vigilance towards various potential threats as well as national and global dynamics," he added.

Besides vigilance, Sjafrie also stressed the importance of unity and work discipline.

According to him, the heavy responsibilities of defense require all members to eliminate sectoral ego and prioritize teamwork.

"Moreover, integrity must be free from deviations. In this regard, the Minister of Defense issued a strong warning against misconduct that could undermine the integrity of the institution and loyalty to the state, including involvement in online gambling and drug abuse," explained the Information Bureau.

Furthermore, Sjafrie urged Kemenhan to continuously improve defense governance through the restructuring and revitalization of the organization.

This step is aimed at supporting the development of TNI strength, both in operational and territorial aspects.

At the end of his directive, Sjafrie reminded all Kemenhan employees to maintain loyalty to the nation and state and to consider service to the people as the foundation for carrying out defense duties.