Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin

Last updated

General (Hon.) (Ret.)
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Menteri Pertahanan RI (2024).jpg
Official portrait, 2024
27th Minister of Defense
Assumed office
21 October 2024
Occupation
  • Politician
  • army officer
Military service
Allegiance Indonesia
Branch/service Indonesian Army
Years of service1974–2010
Rank Lieutenant general
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]

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 [9]

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. Daftar WNI Yang Memperoleh Tanda Kehormatan Bintang Mahaputera Tahun 2004 - Sekarang (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. 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.
  6. TNI, Puspen (25 July 2007). "PANGLIMA TNI SEMATKAN TANDA KEHORMATAN". tni.mil.id. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  8. antaranews.com (8 January 2025). "Menhan Sjafrie terima Bintang Legiun Veteran Indonesia dari LVRI". Antara News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  9. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Defense
2024–present
Incumbent