The Koopssus ( id, Komando Operasi Khusus, Special Operations Command), is a special forces unit of the Indonesian National Armed Forces with

counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...

duties. The unit operates and was formed similarly to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Joint Special Operations Command The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is a joint component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equip ...

(JSOC) to execute special operations missions worldwide.

History

The Koopssus was established in 2015. At that time, this force consisted of 90 people who would serve in operational status. Revisions to Indonesia's anti-terror laws, which were passed in 2018, allowed the military to be formally involved in counter-terrorism operations. Until then, the

Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...

’s elite wing, the

Detachment 88 Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 ( id, Detasemen Khusus 88 Antiteror), or Densus 88, is a tier one Indonesian National Police counter-terrorism squad formed on 30 June 2003, after the 2002 Bali bombings. It is funded, equipped, and trained b ...

(''Densus 88''), had been the country's lead security unit in pursuing terrorists. The Special Operations Command was established on 30 July 2019, thru President Decree No. 42/2019 and Commander of the Armed Forces Regulation No. 19/2019.

Organization

According to

Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces The Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces ( id, Panglima Tentara Nasional Indonesia, known as Panglima TNI) is the professional head and highest-ranking officer of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. Directly answerable to the pres ...

Air Marshal

Hadi Tjahjanto Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Hadi Tjahjanto (born 8 November 1963) is the Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning of Indonesia under President Joko Widodo's Onward Indonesia Cabinet. He is a former officer in the Indonesian Air Force who previousl ...

, the Koopssus consists of 500 personnel drawn from the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

. About 400 Koopssus personnel carry out preventive measures, including surveillance and intelligence, while the remaining 100 members are tasked with confronting terrorist acts.

Commander

The Koopssus is to be commanded by a two-star general officer, while the minimum position is a one-star general officer. Brigadier General Rochadi has been appointed on 30 July 2019 as the unit's first commander.

Organization Structure

Based on Commander of the Armed Forces Regulation No. 19/2019, Koopssus organization divided into 4 parts: Leadership, Assistants, Servicing Echelons, and Executive Operators. For Executive Operators, only 1 out of 7 executive operators is permanent body member of the Koopssus, while other executive operators are non-permanent body members provided by Indonesian National Armed Forces. Koopssus consisted by: # Leadership Elements ## Office of the Commander of Koopssus ## Office of the Deputy Commander of Koopssus # Assistants to the Commander (Planning, Operations, Personnel, Logistics, Communication and Electronics) # Servicing Echelons ## Koopssus HQ Detachment ## Administration Staff Coordinator # Executive Operators ## Permanent Intelligence Force Command ## Special Force Command (Non-permanent, per assignment basis) ### Sat-81 ###

Denjaka Denjaka (abbreviation from ''Detasemen Jala Mangkara''; Jala Mangkara Detachment) is a counter-terrorism special operations force of the Indonesian Navy. It is a combined detachment formed from selected personnel of the Navy's frogmen unit ( KOP ...

###

Bravo Detachment 90 The Bravo Detachment 90 is a counter-terrorism unit whose personnel are specialists recruited and chosen from the Indonesian Air Force's Kopasgat. It is the youngest special operations unit of the Indonesian Air Force. The unit specialises in t ...

## Force Strengthening Command (Non-permanent, per assignment basis) ## Special Sea Operation Force Command (Non-permanent, per assignment basis) ## Special Air Operation Force Command (Non-permanent, per assignment basis) ## Special Force Assistance Operation Command (Non-permanent, per assignment basis) ## Supporting Command (Non-permanent, per assignment basis)

Mission

President of Indonesia The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and is ...

Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite ...

signed, on 3 July 2019, a presidential decree clarifying the military's expanded role in counter-terrorism. Koopssus is to be coordinated with the

in carrying out its mission of responding to high-intensity terror acts. According to the Decree, the Koopssus is in charge of conducting special operations and activities to safeguard the Indonesian national interests both at home and abroad.

Reactions

The speaker of the House of Representatives,

Bambang Soesatyo Bambang Soesatyo (born 10 September 1962), more colloquially referred to as Bamsoet, is an Indonesian politician and businessman, who is currently serving as the 15th Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly since 2019, and as a Member of th ...

, said he hoped that the formation of Koopssus would also strengthen the monitoring of cyberspace. According to Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, the establishment of the unit is an implementation of the 11 Priority Programs, a military program to deal with a spectrum of threats.

References

{{Military of Indonesia Special forces of Indonesia Military units and formations established in 2019