Jakarta – Indonesia’s 8th President, Prabowo Subianto, and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin rode together in a Maung vehicle following the handover memorandum ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Jakarta on Tuesday (October 22).

After attending a series of events, including a ceremonial salute and the handover of a memorandum from Prabowo, the outgoing Defense Minister, to Sjafrie, who will continue in the role, the two also exchanged tokens of appreciation.

At the close of the event, Prabowo and Sjafrie boarded the Maung, a vehicle produced by PT Pindad, and traveled from the Ministry of Defense to the State Palace.

The public, including civilians and military personnel, showed great enthusiasm as Prabowo and Sjafrie passed by.

“Pak Prabowo! Mr. President!” people shouted in greeting as they spotted Prabowo.

Sjafrie has maintained a close bond with Prabowo since their youth. This connection has been highlighted in several photos shared by Sjafrie on his personal Instagram account, @sjafrie_sjamsoeddin, where the two are seen sitting side by side during their early years.

After graduating from the Military Academy in 1974, both Sjafrie and President Prabowo joined the elite Red Beret Corps, Kopassus (Special Forces Command), where they served together in significant military operations, including those in East Timor.

Throughout his career, Sjafrie held various key positions, including Assistant for Territorial Affairs to the Chief of Staff of the TNI, Advisor to the Commander of the Armed Forces, Coordinator of the Commander’s Advisory Staff, Head of the TNI Information Center (2002), and Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense (2005-2010). The Ministry of Defense, formerly the Department of Defense (Dephan), officially changed its name on November 6, 2008.

After retiring from active military service in 2010, Sjafrie quickly transitioned to roles within the government, serving as Deputy Minister of Defense (2010-2014) during the second term of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and later as Assistant Minister of Defense for Defense Management (2019-2024).

Finally, Sjafrie was officially appointed by President Prabowo as the Minister of Defense for the Merah Putih Cabinet and was sworn into office on Monday, October 21, 2024. (RR)