"My successor should have also been named before the end of August 2013."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Army will next month have a new commander who will succeed incumbent Chief of Staff Gen Pramono Edhie Wibowo who will retire, Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Commander Admiral Agus Suhartono said.
"The incumbent Army chief will celebrate his birthday on May 5, 2013. At the end of May, before the completion of his term of office, his successor should have already been named," Adm Agus said after opening a joint military exercise for the three military services here on Monday.
He said that he would also complete his term of office as the TNI commander in August 2013 but his successor had not yet been known.
"My successor should have also been named before the end of August 2013," the TNI chief said.
The election of the TNI new chief should be made after the Army already has a new commander, Agus said.
The successor of the TNI chief will be selected by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from the chiefs of staff of the three TNI services, namely the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, he said.
The president will then submit the name of would-be TNI leader to the House of Representatives (DPR) for approval.
Agus expressed hope that the new TNI would have much time to prepare pacification for the 2014 general elections, he said.
Earlier, Agus Suhartono opened a joint Navy, Army and Air Force military exercise 2013 at Halim Perdanakusuma airbase.
In his address, the TNI chief said that the national military strategy played an important role in defending the state and nation`s existence as a consequence of the country`s strategic position.
Therefore, the TNI is demanded to have high capability and preparedness. It should have high operation preparedness which was able to deter threats and cope with disturbance in more than one contingency areas.
"It is in this reason we launch this joint exercise as a medium to measure or to test the forces` capability and to measure the TNI joint command interoperability in the framework of preventing, deterring and facing any form of emerging threats in all parts of the country," Agus Suhartono said.
The military exercise carries the theme: "The Joint Military Exercise 2013 is A Joint Military Command Which Carries A Military Campaign In East Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) In The Framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia."
It constitutes a peak exercise carried out as a follow-up to the several military exercises and brigade exercises conducted in 2012.
Besides increasing TNI soldiers` professionalism, the military exercise is also aimed at increasing and measuring soldiers` and forces` capability in implementing and controlling the mechanism of a joint operation effectively.
In general, the joint military exercise included strategic, static, technical, procedural and psychological operation aspects.
(Uu.A014/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
