The Indonesian Army (Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), lit. 'Indonesian National Military Land Force') is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat (TKR) "People's Security Army" first emerged as a paramilitary and police corps.
Since the nation's independence movement, the Indonesian Army has been involved in multifaceted operations ranging from the incorporation of Western New Guinea, the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, to the annexation of East Timor, as well as internal counter-insurgency operations in Aceh, Maluku, and Papua. The army's operations have not been without controversy; it has been periodically associated with human rights violations, particularly in West Papua, East Timor, and Aceh.
The Indonesia Army is composed of a headquarters, 15 military regional command (Kodam), a strategic reserve command (Kostrad), a special forces command (Kopassus), and various adjunct units. It is headed by the Chief of Staff of the Army (Kepala Staf Angkatan Darat – KSAD or KASAD).
History
Formation
In the week following the Japanese surrender of 1945, the Giyūgun (PETA) and Heiho groups were disbanded by the Japanese. Most PETA and Heiho members did not yet know about the declaration of independence. Command structures and membership vital for a national army were consequently dismantled. Thus, rather than being formed from a trained, armed, and organised army, the Republican armed forces began to grow in early October from usually younger, less trained groups under the national People's Security Agency built around charismatic leaders in the regions. Creating a rational military structure that was obedient to central authority from such disorganisation, was one of the major problems of the revolution, a problem that remains through to contemporary times. In a meeting between former KNIL and former PETA Division Commanders, organised by chief of staff (KSO) of People's Security Agency, Oerip Soemohardjo, a thirty-year-old former school teacher and PETA member, Sudirman, was elected 'commander-in-chief' in Yogyakarta on 12 November 1945. Under his leadership, the young Army began to fight as a unified force during the National Revolution.
Aware of the limitations of their military in the face of the Dutch aggression, the people and government of Indonesia decided to fight foreign threats to the nation's independence. Thus, in 1947, the People's War Doctrine in which all the power of the national armed forces and the community and resources were deployed to confront the Dutch aggression, was officially implemented within the army and the wider armed forces as the national military strategy. Thus, the integrity and existence of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia has been able to be maintained by military forces with the people. By 1947, the young Army (then named Tentara Republik Indonesia Angkatan Darat) was organized into 10 infantry divisions, 7 Javanese and 3 Sumatran.
In accordance with the decision of the Round Table Conference (RTC), at the end of 1949 the United States of Indonesia (RIS) came into being. Correspondingly, the TNI's ground forces thus formed part of the Angkatan Perang Republik Indonesia Serikat (APRIS) (later the Angkatan Perang Republik Indonesia or APRI when the republic became unitary in 1950). It would be the formal merger of the TNI and the former KNIL and all military personnel of the two forces, plus the independent paramilitary groups (laskar) which fought the war on the side of the independence movement.
Action against rebellions
The period is also called the period of liberal democracy is characterized by various rebellions in the country. In 1950 most of the former members of the Colonial Army launched an uprising in Bandung which is known as the Legion of the Just Ruler / APRA uprising and was led by former KNIL officer Raymond Westerling. The army also needed to confront the uprising in Makassar led by Andi Azis and the Republic of South Maluku (RMS) in Maluku. Meanwhile, DaruI Islam in West Java widened its influence to South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and Aceh. In 1958 the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia / People's Struggle (PRRI / Permesta) started a rebellion in large parts of Sumatra and North Sulawesi endangering the national integrity. As part of the National Armed Forces the Army helped defeat all these uprisings, increasing its prestige in the eyes of the government and the people. Future Chief of Staff of the Army Ahmad Yani was instrumental in one of these first victories against rebels in Central Java.
On 17 November 1952, General Nasution was suspended as army chief of staff following army indiscipline over command and support that threatens the government. From the 1950s, the military articulated the doctrines of dwifungsi and hankamrata, the military roles in the country's socio-political development as well as security; and a requirement that the resources of the people be at the call of the armed forces and police if the State warrants it. On 5 July 1959, Sukarno, with armed forces support and the advice of Nasution, issued a decree dissolving the Constituent Assembly and reintroducing the Constitution of 1945 with strong presidential powers. By 1963, he also assumed the additional role of Prime Minister, which completed the structure of 'Guided Democracy', and was named "President for Life", also with army assistance, the year after.
At the same time, the Indonesian government started sending their troops on UN peacekeeping missions. The first batch of soldiers were sent to Sinai, Egypt, and were known as Garuda Contingent I. Garuda Contingent I began its first deployment 8 January 1957 to Egypt. Garuda Contingent I consisted of the combined personnel of the 15th Infantry Regiment Territorial Command (TT) IV/Diponegoro, as well as one company of the 18th Infantry Regiment TC V/Brawijaya in Malang. This contingent was led by Lt. Col. of Infantry Hartoyo which was later replaced by Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry Suadi Suromihardjo, while his deputy was Major of Infantry Soediono Suryantoro. The contingent departed on 8 January 1957, on board the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II transport aircraft of the United States Air Force for Beirut, the Lebanese capital. From Beirut the contingent was divided by two, the majority heading to Abu Suweir and partly to Al Sandhira. Furthermore, the El Sandhira troops moved into Gaza, the border area of Egypt and Israel, while the command is in Rafah. This contingent returned to Indonesia on 29 September 1957. Garuda Contingent I had a total number of 559 army personnel of all ranks.
1965 to 1998
The army was heavily involved in the Indonesian killings of 1965–1966. The killings were an anti-communist purge following a failed coup of the 30 September Movement. The most widely accepted estimates are that more than 500,000 people were killed. The purge was a pivotal event in the transition to the "New Order"; the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was eliminated as a political force. The failed coup released pent-up communal hatreds which were fanned by the Indonesian Army, which quickly blamed the PKI. Communists were purged from political, social, and military life, and the PKI itself was banned. The massacres began in October 1965, in the weeks following the coup attempt, and reached their peak over the remainder of the year before subsiding in the early months of 1966. They started in the capital, Jakarta, and spread to Central and East Java and, later, Bali. Thousands of local vigilantes and army units killed actual and alleged PKI members. Although killings occurred across Indonesia, the worst were in the PKI strongholds of Central Java, East Java, Bali, and northern Sumatra. It is possible that over one million people were imprisoned at one time or another.
Sukarno's balancing act of "Nasakom" (nationalism, religion and communism) had been unravelled. His most significant pillar of support, the PKI, had been effectively eliminated by the other two pillars—the army and political Islam; and the army was on the way to unchallenged power. In March 1968, Suharto was formally elected president.
The killings are skipped over in most Indonesian history books and have received little introspection by Indonesians and comparatively little international attention. Satisfactory explanations for the scale and frenzy of the violence have challenged scholars from all ideological perspectives. The possibility of a return to similar upheavals is cited as a factor in the "New Order" administration's political conservatism and tight control of the political system. Vigilance against a perceived communist threat remained a hallmark of Suharto's thirty-year presidency. The CIA described the massacre as "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century, along with the Soviet purges of the 1930s, the Nazi mass murders during the Second World War, and the Maoist bloodbath of the early 1950s." Later army operations have not been without controversy however.
The size of the Army has expanded over the years; in July 1976 the Army was estimated to consist of solely 180,000 personnel, one armoured cavalry brigade, part of Kostrad (one tank battalion, plus support units), 14 infantry brigades (90 infantry, 1 para, 9 artillery, 11 anti-aircraft, and 9 engineer battalions) of which three of the brigades were in Kostrad, two airborne brigades totalling six battalions, also part of Kostrad, one independent tank battalion, 7 independent armoured cavalry battalions, and four independent para-commando battalions.
1998–present
Involvement in UN Peacekeeping operations continued after the fall of Suharto, but in 2010, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was strongly criticized after two soldiers from Indonesia were filmed fleeing a clash on the Israeli-Lebanon border in a taxi.
Starting in 2025, the Army embarked on an expansion program, with the Ministry of Defense aiming at the formation of 150 new battalions per year with the stated aim of one territorial development battalion per regency/city and one Kodam for each province.
Organisation
Territorially, the Indonesian Army is currently organized into 21 military regions which are spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago. They are placed under the jurisdiction of the army headquarters. Six are based in Sumatra, four are based in Java, three are based in Kalimantan, one based in Lesser Sunda Islands, three based in Sulawesi, one based in Maluku and three based in Papua. The Komando Cadangan Strategis Angkatan Darat (Kostrad, strategic reserve forces) and Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus, the Army special force) are independent formations and directly subordinate to the chief of staff. The army headquarters is under coordination with the armed force Headquarters. The highest-ranking officer within the army is the Chief of Staff of the Army which has the rank of a four-star General and is responsible to the Commander of the Armed Forces.
The Indonesian Army and its relation to the Armed Forces General Headquarters and the other military branches are structured into the following in accordance with the provisions of Presidential Regulation No. 84/2025 on the Organization of the Indonesian National Armed Forces:
Leadership elements (Unsur pimpinan)
Chief of Staff of the Army (Kepala Staf Angkatan Darat), in charge of:
heading the management and operational readiness of the Army;
assisting the Commander of the Armed Forces in creating policies regarding the Army's image, doctrine, and strategy, as well as in preparing land-based operations;
assisting the Commander of the Armed Forces in utilizing various state defense components; and
other land-based duties as ordered by the Commander of the Armed Forces.
Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army (Wakil Kepala Staf Angkatan Darat), serving as the chief staff coordinator of the Army Headquarters, assisting the Army Chief of Staff in heading the Army.
Leadership support elements (Unsur pembantu pimpinan)
Inspectorate General of the Army (Inspektorat Jenderal TNI Angkatan Darat), tasked with general internal supervision of the Army, as well as the supervision over the Army's treasury and finance;
Expert Staff to the Army Chief of Staff (Staf Ahli Kepala Staf Angkatan Darat), tasked with providing the Army Chief of Staff with academic and scientific analysis over national and international issues;
Army Planning and Budgeting Staff (Staf Perencanaan dan Anggaran TNI Angkatan Darat), tasked with drafting strategic policies and general administration of Army planning, budgeting, and bureaucratic reform;
Army Intelligence Staff (Staf Intelijen TNI Angkatan Darat), tasked with drafting strategic policies and general administration of Army intelligence;
Army Operations Staff (Staf Operasi TNI Angkatan Darat), tasked with drafting strategic policies and general administration of Army operations;
Army Personnel Staff (Staf Personalia TNI Angkatan Darat), tasked with drafting strategic policies and general administration of Army personnel;
Army Logistics Staff (Staf Logistik TNI Angkatan Darat), tasked with drafting strategic policies and general administration of Army logistics; and
Army Territorial Staff (Staf Teritorial TNI Angkatan Darat), tasked with drafting strategic policies and general administration of Army territorial affairs.
Service Element (Unsur Pelayanan)
Army Headquarters Detachment (Detasemen Markas Besar TNI Angkatan Darat), in charge of managing the internal affairs, personnel, logistics, and finance in support of the Army Headquarters.
Central executive agencies (Badan Pelaksana Pusat)
The following agencies are called Badan Pelaksana Pusat, translated as Central Executive Agencies, and directly subordinated under the Army Headquarters. Agencies with affix Pusat (Centers), Akademi (Academies), and Sekolah (Schools or Colleges) are headed by two-star Major General, while agencies with affix Dinas (Services/Departments) and Direktorat (Directorates) are headed by a one-star Brigadier General. Exceptions are made for the Army Territorial Center, Army Military Police Center, and Army Central Hospital as they are all headed by a three-star Lieutenant General.
Centers
Combat forces
Infantry Branch Center (Pusat Kesenjataan Infanteri)
Cavalry Branch Center (Pusat Kesenjataan Kavaleri)
Field Artillery Branch Center (Pusat Kesenjataan Artileri Medan)
Air Defense Artillery Branch Center (Pusat Kesenjataan Artileri Pertahanan Udara)
Combat and service support
Army Military Police Center (Pusat Polisi Militer TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Aviation Center (Pusat Penerbangan TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Medical Center (Pusat Kesehatan TNI Angkatan Darat). It directly oversees Gatot Soebroto Army Central Hospital (Rumah Sakit Pusat Angkatan Darat Gatot Soebroto), while other army hospitals are organized under each regional command's medical center.
Army Engineering Center (Pusat Zeni TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Communication and Electronics Center (Pusat Komunikasi dan Elektronika TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Ordnance Center (Pusat Peralatan TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Logistics and Transportation Center (Pusat Pembekalan Angkutan TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Intelligence Center (Pusat Intelijen TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Cipher and Cyber Center (Pusat Sandi dan Siber TNI Angkatan Darat)
Army Territorial Center (Pusat Teritorial TNI Angkatan Darat)