By srirahayu@insightinnews.com
Lieutenant General TNI (Ret.) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin served as the Deputy Minister of Defense of Indonesia from January 6, 2010, to October 20, 2014. He also held the position of Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense, a role he maintained since April 2005.
Born in Ujungpandang (now Makassar) on October 30, 1952, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has had a distinguished military career. He graduated from the Military Academy (Akabri) in 1974, alongside Prabowo Subianto, and both served in the Special Forces Command, known today as Kopassus. Throughout his career, he held several significant positions within the TNI, including Deputy Commander of the Jakarta Military Command (Kasdam Jaya) in 1996, Commander of the Jakarta Military Command (Pangdam Jaya) in 1997, and Head of TNI Public Relations (Kapuspen TNI) in 2002 during the latter part of the New Order regime.
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin is a descendant of the warlord La Temmu Page Arung Labuaja, a Bugis Bone nobleman who directly led troops in combat against colonial forces invading the Kingdom of Bone.
During President Soeharto's administration, Sjafrie served in the Presidential Security Forces (Paspampres), where he held the position of Dangrup A Paspampres and was responsible for the personal security of President Soeharto during international visits. His military career progressed steadily, culminating in his role as Waasops Dan Kopassus from 1975 to 1991, before retiring with the rank of Lieutenant General TNI. Following his military retirement, Sjafrie continued to contribute to national defense.
As Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense, Sjafrie sought to implement internal reforms, particularly in the procurement of primary weaponry systems (alutsista). The existing system had allowed various parties and interests to operate freely within it, including those benefiting from the procurement of military equipment for the National Armed Forces.
