Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin

Last updated

General (Hon.) (Ret.)
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin 2025 Portrait.png
Official portrait, 2025
27th Minister of Defense
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 October 2024
Occupation
  • Politician
  • army officer
Military service
Allegiance Indonesia
Branch/service Indonesian Army
Years of service1974–2010
Rank 22-TNI Army-GEN.svg General (Honorary)
Unit Kopassus (Special Forces)
Commands Kopassus
Battles/wars

General (Hon.) (Ret.) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (born 30 October 1952) is an Indonesian army officer and politician serving as the 27th minister of defense since 2024. [1] From 2010 to 2014, he served as deputy minister of defense. [2] He once was Suharto's bodyguard and one of his most loyal confidant until his downfall and also an old friend of Indonesia's current president Prabowo Subianto, who was his classmate at a military academy. [3]

Contents

Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin served in the Indonesian military and was a member of the Kopassus unit. He was accused of human rights abuses throughout his military career. He participated in the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and was later reported to be present at the Santa Cruz massacre in 1991, and the 1999 East Timorese crisis. He was also accused of involvement over the 1997–98 activists kidnappings in Indonesia and the May 1998 riots in Jakarta, where he was the city's military commander at the time. He was cleared by Indonesian authorities over the riots and was not formally charged in East Timor or the kidnappings, although he was dismissed from the military over the latter issue. In 2009, he was denied a visa by the United States when he was an adviser to then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. [3]

Early life

Sjafrie was born in Makassar on 30 October 1952. [4] He was the 6th child out of 11 siblings from Sjamsoeddin Koernia, a former soldier, and Hamdana. [5] Sjafrie enrolled into the Indonesian Military Academy on 1971 and graduated in 1974 with Sjafrie given the best graduate award. [6] [7] He made friends with Prabowo Subianto and Ryamizard Ryacudu who were his classmates. [8] On 1989, he enrolled into Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College. [9]

Military career

After graduating, Sjafrie and Prabowo joined Kopassus, the special forces arm of the Indonesian Army. Sjafrie participated in numerous conflicts in East Timor, Aceh, and West Papua. [10] [7] His first command was as a platoon commander in Group 1 Para Commandos [11] [12] He took part in Operation Lotus as a part of the invasion force to East Timor, becoming the commander of Force Nanggala X on 1976. [13] In 1985, Sjafrie attended an advanced training course for infantry officers in Fort Benning.

Honours

As an Indonesian Army officer and Minister of Defence, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin received the following awards and decorations:

National Honours

Foreign honours

RibbonDistinctionCountryDateReference
Commander of Legion of Honour Ribbon Bar.png Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour Flag of France.svg France 14 July 2025 [19]

References

  1. ↑ "Prabowo reveals names of ministers in "Red and White Cabinet"". Antara. 20 October 2024.
  2. ↑ "Profil Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin: Ajudan Soeharto Kini Menteri Pertahanan" (in Indonesian). CNBC Indonesia. 21 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 "New Indonesia defence chief harks back to dictator's rule". France 24. 30 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Saptohutomo, Aryo Putranto (20 October 2024). "Profil dan Kekayaan Menhan Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin di Kabinet Prabowo-Gibran". Kompas Nasional. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "Rekam Jejak Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Menhan yang Diangkat Prabowo Jadi Ketua Harian Dewan Pertahanan Nasional". Tempo (in Indonesian). 18 December 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  6. ↑ "Saat Menhan Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin Antar Prabowo ke Istana Naik Maung Pindad". Tempo (in Indonesian). 22 October 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Getting to know Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Prabowo's defense minister". Antara News. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Daftar Tiga Menhan Prabowo-Sjafrie Ternyata Jebolan Akmil 1974, Lugas Dibuka Jenderal dari PDIP". merdeka.com. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  9. ↑ Facundo, Chrysnha (10 October 2024). Bangun, Suci (ed.). "Sosok Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Pengawal Soeharto Teman Akmil Seangkatan Prabowo Kabarnya Jadi Menhan". Tribunnews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Defence minister for Indonesia named – Asian Defence Journal". 22 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "Saat Menhan Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin Antar Prabowo ke Istana Naik Maung Pindad". Tempo (in Indonesian). 22 October 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  12. ↑ "Rekam Jejak Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Menhan yang Diangkat Prabowo Jadi Ketua Harian Dewan Pertahanan Nasional". Tempo (in Indonesian). 18 December 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  13. ↑ Darmawan, Rizky (26 November 2024). "Profil Letjen Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Menteri Pertahanan dengan Banyak Jabatan Mentereng". SINDOnews Nasional (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Daftar WNI Yang Memperoleh Tanda Kehormatan Bintang Mahaputera Tahun 2004 - Sekarang (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Profil Menhan Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin". KemHan.go.id (in Indonesian). Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "Panglima TNI Semaktan Tanda Kehormatan". TNI. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  18. ↑ "Menhan Sjafrie terima Bintang Legiun Veteran Indonesia dari LVRI". Antara News (in Indonesian). 8 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  19. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Defense
2024–present		Incumbent
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