President Inaugurates Nurmantyo as Army Chief of Staff

Jakarta (Antara) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inaugurated Lieutenant General Gatot Nurmantyo as the new Indonesian army chief of staff in a ceremony held at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta. Yudhoyono read the pledge, which was repeated by Gatot. He replaces General Budiman who has entered retirement period. Several high-ranking officials such as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto, Coordinating Minister for Economy Chairul Tanjung, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono, Indonesian Military Commander General Moeldoko, and Indonesian Police Chief General Sutarman were present at the inauguration ceremony, which was not attended by General Budiman. General Moeldoko also noted that there was no political reason behind the replacement of General Budiman by Lieutenant General Gatot, but it was rather an institutional requirement of the Indonesian Military. Moeldoko remarked that Budiman would retire in September 2014. Moeldoko hoped that the new Army Chief of Staff, Gatot, can increase the spirit of professionalism among the Army soldiers. "I hope the new chief of staff can improve the condition of the soldiers," Moeldoko added. He noted that the soldiers should maintain professionalism and continue to increase their capabilities, which is the main duty of the Indonesian Military. Earlier, Gatot has served as the Military Academy governor during the 2009-2010 period, the commander of Brawijaya Military Regional Command for the 2010-2011 period, the commander of Army Education Command between 2011 and 2013, and the Commander of Army Strategic Command. (*)