President installs new military chief

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Friday installed Gen Djoko Santoso as the new commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), Lt Gen Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo as the new Army chief of staff and Vice Marshal Subandrio as the new Air Force chief of staff.

The function was attended by a number of United Indonesia Cabinet ministers, House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, People`s Consultative Assembly Chairman Hidayat Nurwahid, Constitutional Court Chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie, Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, National Police Chief Gen Sutanto, Supreme Court Chairman Bagir Manan and a number of top-ranking TNI officers.

Djoko Santoso graduated from the Military Academy in 1975. He spent most of his past career in the Army`s intelligence service. He began assuming leading positions in the army when he was appointed chief of the Pattimura Regional Military Command concurrently commander of Security Restoration Operations in Maluku province in 2002-2003.