The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) is expanding, with 49 new positions and the addition of regional military commands (Kodam) and Kopassus groups.

President Prabowo Subianto has expanded the TNI organization. The number of high-ranking officer positions within the TNI has increased by 49. The Military Regional Command or Kodam has added six. In addition, there has been the formation of new battalions and an increase in the Special Forces Command. What is intended to be achieved with this expansion of the TNI organization?

On August 5, President Prabowo signed Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 84 of 2025 concerning the Organizational Structure of the TNI. This regulation revises the previous presidential regulation on the same matter, namely Perpres No 66/2019.

In the latest presidential regulation, there are a total of 420 positions for high-ranking officers within the TNI. This number is greater than the number of positions for high-ranking officers as stated in Presidential Regulation No. 66/2019, which had 371 positions. Thus, there is an addition of 49 new positions.

The addition of positions, for instance, is evident in the leadership support elements at the Indonesian National Armed Forces Headquarters (Mabes TNI), which increased from 12 positions to 24 positions. One of these is the position of assistant to the commander, which was previously only one position in the old presidential regulation, now expanded to seven assistant to the commander positions. These include the assistant to the commander for strategic policy and general planning, operations, intelligence, personnel, logistics, territorial, as well as communication and electronics.

Why was the change in organizational structure undertaken?

In the considerations section of the Presidential Regulation, it is stated that changes are necessary to create an effective and efficient organization to enhance the performance of the duties and functions of the TNI. Furthermore, Presidential Regulation No. 66/2019 is deemed no longer in accordance with the law and the needs of the organization.

Not only limited to these changes, the TNI has also added six military regional commands (kodam), bringing the total number of kodam across Indonesia to 21.

The six new military commands referred to are Kodam XIX/Tuanku Tambusai, which covers the regions of Riau and the Riau Islands, Kodam XX/Tuanku Imam Bonjol (West Sumatra and Jambi), and Kodam XXI/Radin Inten (Lampung and Bengkulu).

In addition, the XXII/Tambun Bungai Military Command (Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan), the XXIII/Palaka Wira Military Command (Central Sulawesi and West Sulawesi), and the XXIV/Mandala Trikora Military Command based in Merauke, South Papua. South Papua is a new province that was established in 2022.

In addition, a Territorial Development Battalion has been established by the Army. This battalion is planned to be deployed across Indonesia, in 514 regencies/cities, to support stability and development. Last June, there were even reports that the Army would recruit enlisted personnel amounting to 24,000 individuals for this battalion.

"Each battalion will later be established on an area of 30 hectares and will have companies that directly address the needs of the community," said the Head of the Army Information Service Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhayana, June 7, 2025.

At least four companies will be formed, namely the agricultural company, livestock company, medical company, and engineering company. The agricultural company is tasked with supporting food security and national self-sufficiency.

The livestock company is tasked with strengthening the provision of animal protein. The medical company acts as the spearhead of public health services and disaster management. Meanwhile, the engineering company will focus on the development of infrastructure, particularly in underdeveloped and disaster-prone areas.

Not stopping there, the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces has also established the formation of six group commanders for the Special Forces Command (Kopassus). Thus, there will be an addition of three groups from those currently existing, namely in Serang (Banten), Surakarta, and the Cijantung Command Headquarters in Jakarta.

The six groups in question are distributed across several locations in Indonesia, namely Group 1 based in Banten, Group 2 in Surakarta (Central Java), Group 3 in Dumai (Riau), Group 4 in Penajam (Nusantara Capital), Group 5 in Kendari (Southeast Sulawesi), and Group 6 in Timika (Central Papua). The main headquarters of Kopassus (Mako Kopassus) remains in Jakarta.

The Head of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Information Center (Kapuspen), Major General (Mayjen) Kristomei Sianturi, when contacted by Kompas for further interview regarding the "fattening" of the TNI organizational structure, has not yet responded.

Previously, he only conveyed the ceremony for the operational and military honor troops in Batujajar, which will serve as a moment to inaugurate new units in the TNI as well as the officials who will fill them, in addition to the inauguration of the Deputy Commander of the TNI.

The Head of the Army Information Service (Kadispenad) Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhayana explained that the establishment of a new military command and the Territorial Development Battalion is part of the TNI's adaptation to the challenges of the times. This strategic step is also said to aim at strengthening the People's Defense and Security System (Sishankamrata), while simultaneously supporting national development programs for the welfare of the community.

Furthermore, according to him, the main essence of establishing new units is to develop the strength of the Army until it reaches remote areas and to support the concept of defense for major islands.

In addition, the establishment of the unit will ensure a quicker and more effective response to various threats, both military and non-military, such as terrorism, separatism, and natural disasters. "This is also in line with the Sishankamrata doctrine, which involves all components of the nation in national defense," he said.

In addition to defense aspects, the presence of the Territorial Development Battalion is also said to carry an important mission in community engagement and the improvement of community welfare. Through subdivisions that focus on agriculture, livestock, and other productive economic sectors, the Army serves as a development agent in the regions.

"The urgency of establishing a new Military Command also lies in the development of the Army organization that is necessary to address the extensive scope of duties, provide greater authority and power in reaching areas, and optimally respond to local issues," said Wahyu.

Equally important, the new units are claimed to be very strategic in supporting the President's Asta Cita. These new units will also play a crucial role in supporting government programs in the fields of health and welfare, such as vaccination, nutritional counseling, and the distribution of social assistance, as well as accelerating response efforts in the event of natural disasters.

Nevertheless, the Chairman of the Central Initiative Board, Al Araf, believes that the addition of the TNI organizational structure is not in line with the spirit of reform and the TNI Law. The Law Number 3 of 2025 concerning the TNI states that the organization and titles of TNI forces must not duplicate the structure of civil government administration.

The regulation was introduced because the territorial command structure established during the New Order era, from the Military Command (Kodam) to the Sub-District Military Command (Koramil), is essentially a structure that duplicates the civil government administration. This structure has been maintained and even expanded by President Prabowo. In fact, this organizational structure was created as part of the political instrument of the second President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto, to carry out monitoring activities within the community.

In addition, he reminded that the 1998 Reformation not only abolished the dual function of the military but also demanded a restructuring of the territorial command system. This was because, during the New Order era, it was used as an instrument for socio-political purposes.

The organizational structure of the TNI, he continued, should be calculated based on the direction of policy and defense doctrine strategies in facing the threat of war. The creation of the organization is merely a derivative of the strategic policy and doctrine that should be possessed by the Ministry of Defense.

Unfortunately, since Prabowo became Minister of Defense, Indonesia has not conducted a strategic defense review, which should have been used to develop a defense white paper. This document is crucial for developing defense posture policies and strategies that outline the short-, medium-, and long-term defense orientation.

"The absence or lack of transparency regarding the strategic defense policies held by the Ministry of Defense makes it difficult to understand and analyze the direction of the development of its structure and organization," he stated.

Furthermore, the addition of the TNI organizational structure will have a direct impact on increasing the burden on the state. Currently, the TNI budget is already burdened with routine spending needs that account for 60-70 percent of the total budget.

As a result, the budget allocation for strengthening defense equipment and the welfare of soldiers has become more challenging. This is because the budget for employee expenditures will increase, including the development of supporting infrastructure for these new organizations.

Meanwhile, in other countries, they generally rationalize their structures and reduce ineffective forces. Other nations also focus more on enhancing defense technology and improving the strength of professional human resources.

"Internally, the TNI acknowledges that the burden of this organization is very large. However, this is not about efficiency; rather, what is happening is an expansion that leads to inefficiency," said Al Araf.