The division was formed during the Indonesian National Revolution by what was then known as the People's Security Army (TKR). It was stationed in West Java where much of its membership was recruited, and bore the name of a 15th-century kingdom located in this area and of that kingdom's King Siliwangi. it became a Territorial Division (Soldier & Territorium) on 24 July 1950,[2] and a military regional command, or KODAM, in 1959.
History
From May 1946 the division was commanded by then-colonel Abdul Haris Nasution and his adjutant was Umar Wirahadikusumah, and slightly later Amirmachmud was the Division Commander's Chief of Staff. Kemal Idris was also among the division's officers. All of these would play a significant role in Indonesia's military and political life during the coming decades.
Under the terms of the cease-fire agreement of January 1948 known as the Renville Agreement, the Siliwangi Division was obliged to evacuate West Java and hand it over to the Dutch, and to move over to Central Java. During this lull in fighting the colonial troops, the division was involved in the bloody crackdown against the People's Democratic Front (FDR) in the Madiun Affair, in the course of which thousands were killed.
In December 1948 the Dutch army launched the surprise attack known as Operation Kraai, swiftly capturing the Indonesian provisional capital at Yogyakarta and most of Indonesian territory. The Siliwangi Division at that time conducted a fighting retreat back to its original position in West Java, where its men had their social milieu[clarification needed] and were familiar with the terrain, which was therefore the best suited for this unit to conduct guerrilla warfare in. On arrival in West Java, the division fought both the Dutch and the Militia groups DI/TII.
In 1953 Nasution wrote a book called The Fundamentals of Guerrilla Warfare, based on his own experience of fighting and organising guerrilla warfare, which would become one of the most studied books on guerrilla warfare along with Mao's works on the same subject matter.
Poncke Princen, a former Dutch colonial soldier who went over to the Indonesian rebels, took part in that "Long March" and was appointed a staff officer in the division.
On 23 January 1950, a rebel group called Legion of the Just Ruler (Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil; APRA) led by Captain Raymond Westerling attempted to seize Bandung during the APRA Coup d'état.[3] Lt. Col. Lembong and 93 other Indonesian soldiers and officers were killed. On 24 January 1950, the rebels tried to attack Jakarta, but the rebellion was quashed in a fierce battle in Pacet, near Jakarta. Sultan Hamid II was arrested, but Capt. Westerling managed to escape to Singapore (then still a British colony).[4]
In late 1951 the division was described as being 'a loose umbrella for five infantry brigades (each of which had up to four infantry battalions) strung across the western third of Java.' The post of commander of Tentara & Territorium III, the territorial military command encompassing west Java, was in effect synonymous with control of the division.[5]
"Factionalism within the army leadership, once a severe problem, no longer disrupted operations in the early 1990s. Traditional divisional identification continued to have some significance, however, especially regarding that developed in the former Siliwangi, Diponegoro, and Brawijaya divisions, which covered western, central, and eastern Java, respectively, during the war of independence and the years immediately thereafter. The detachment of the Jakarta area from the control of the Siliwangi division and the restructuring of the army from a divisional basis to the territorial Kodam system diffused the powers of the divisions and eliminated warlordism." [7]
Territorial units
4 Military Subarea Commands (Korem) and an Independent Military District Command (Kodim) comprise the command, which today covers the two provinces of West Java and Banten.
5. Kodim 0618/Bandung City (Standalone/Independent)
Training regiment
The 3rd Regional Training Regiment (Resimen Induk Kodam III/Siliwangi) serves as the training regiment for new recruits to the territorial command. It is organized in the following manner:
The Indonesian Army 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.
Kodam XII/Tanjungpura, is an Indonesian Army Regional Military Command that covers West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan province. Kodam Tanjungpura also oversees the defense of Indonesian border region with the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Kodam V/Brawijaya is a military region command of the Indonesian Army, as the 5th Kodam, which oversees the entire East Java Province. It traces its history to the first formation of the East Java Division in 1948.
The Indonesian Army has formed a large number of infantry battalions since it was formed from provisional militias during the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch colonial rule, 1945–1949. Today, the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance 2007 lists the Army with 2 brigades plus 60 other battalions in the KODAMs, or Military Regional Commands, and nine battalions in KOSTRAD, the Army Strategic Reserve Command. There are also around nine airborne battalions.
KODAM IV/Diponegoro or IV Military Regional Command/Diponegoro is a military area command of the Indonesian Army. It covers the provinces of Central Java and Special Region of Yogyakarta on the island of Java. It is named after the Java War hero Prince Diponegoro. It appears to have been first established in 1950, and inherited the heritage of the former 3rd Diponegoro Division and other Central Java infantry units. Diponegoro Division personnel have been very significant in the history of the Indonesian Army. Among its early officers were Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, who served as battalion and regimental commander in the division from 1945-53. Former commanders of the division include Soeharto, a former president of Indonesia. Divisional personnel, including Lieutenant Colonel Untung Syamsuri, were involved in the 30 September Movement events of 1965. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was also member of this KODAM when he took command of KOREM 072/Pamungkas at Yogyakarta during his military tenure.
Military Region Command II/Sriwijaya is an Indonesian Army Regional Military Command that covers the provinces of Bengkulu, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka-Belitung Islands and Lampung.
Kodam IX/Udayana is a military regional command of the Indonesian Army which is responsible for the Lesser Sunda Islands. It was established as part of the 1985 reorganisation of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and included East Timor until that province achieved independence in 1999.
Komando Daerah Militer XVII/Cenderawasih or Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih, is a military area command of the Indonesian Army, as the 17th Kodam, which is responsible for the defense of the provinces of Papua, South Papua, Central Papua and Highland Papua.
Military Regional Command I/Bukit Barisan is an Indonesian Army Regional Military Command that covers the Sumatran provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau and Riau Islands. The command takes its name from the Barisan Mountains.
Iskandar Muda Military Region Command is a military territorial command of the Indonesian Army. It has been in active service as the local division for Aceh Province. Its emblem is a white elephant, after the war elephants that served in the namesake's army during his rule as Sultan of Aceh.
Kodam VI/Mulawarman is a military territorial command of the Indonesian Army. It has been in active service as the local division for the provinces of North Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.
The Indonesian Military Regional Commands also known officially as Military Area Commands are military districts of the Indonesian Army that function for the territorial defense of various regions within the country. They cover one or multiple provinces.
Komando Daerah Militer XV/Pattimura, abbreviated Kodam XV/Pattimura, is the Defense Regional Command which contains Maluku Islands.
Komando Daerah Militer XVIII/Kasuari, is the Defense Regional Command in Southwest Papua, and West Papua Province, which was created in 2016 with the division of parts of Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih which is located in Jayapura, Papua Province.
Korem 033/Wira Pratama, or Military Area Command 033rd/Wira Pratama is a Military Area Command (Korem) under Kodam I/Bukit Barisan. Its garrison is located on Tanjung Pinang city, Bintan Island, Kepri. It consist of four Military District Commands (Kodim) divided into 34 Military District Command Sectors (Koramil) and one infantry battalion.
Antonius Josef Witono Sarsanto was an Indonesian military officer and diplomat who became the Ambassador of Indonesia to Japan.
Lieutenant General Raden Himawan Soetanto, M. Hum. was a high-ranking officer of the Indonesian Army and former Commander of the Indonesian Army Strategic Reserve Command.
Kristomei Sianturi is an Indonesian army general who serves as the Chief of the Army Information Services (spokesperson). He served in the position since 31 October 2023. He had been assigned to different military units in the Army Strategic Reserve Command and army territorial units.
Widi Prasetijono is an Indonesian military officer who has served as the commander of the army doctrine, education, and training leadership command since 24 December 2023. Prior to his appointment, Widi served as the commander of the Diponegoro Regional Military Command from 2022 to 2023. Widi entered the army in 1993 and had held command of Kopassus and territorial units. He was noted for his closeness with President Joko Widodo due to his position as Surakarta military commander during the mayoralty of Joko Widodo and as Joko Widodo's aide-de-camp.
Solichin Dachlan is an Indonesian military officer and politician who became the Regent of Serang from 1998 to 1999.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Maj.Gen. Erwin Djatniko (id)
Maj.Gen. Aminudin (id)
