
The
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...
has formed a large number of
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s since it was formed from provisional
militia
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
s during the
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...
against the Dutch colonial rule, 1945–1949. Indonesian military units are commonly referred to by compound words. Infantry battalions are routinely called as ''Yonif''s which is a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. from "batal
yon infanteri" ('infantry battalion'). They are also commonly referred to by their battalion nicknames, for example: 511th Infantry Battalion - ''"Dibyatama Yudha"''.
Organization
The
Infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
Branch is the principal and major unit of the Indonesian army
combat
Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...
element. The Infantry element is the largest and main combat troops within the Indonesian army.
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
and
Kopassus
The Kopassus (, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as Direct action (military), direct action, unconventional warfare, sabot ...
are all part of this branch although it also consists of non-infantry units internally. In Indonesia, there are more than 100 Infantry
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s spread throughout the country.
Green berets are worn by Indonesian Army infantrymen. The Infantry Branch of the Indonesian Army are under the auspices of the Infantry Branch Centre ("Pussenif") which is under the command of a
Lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
.
The elite infantry
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s of the Indonesian Army are called
"Raider Battalions" (raised on 2003) which are specially trained in
Raid
RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
and
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...
operations (including
counter-terrorism
Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
,
Extraction,
Guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
and
Close combat
Close-quarters battle (CQB), also called close-quarters combat (CQC), is a close combat situation between multiple combatants involving ranged (typically firearm-based) or melee combat. It can occur between military units, law enforcement and cr ...
operations).
By strength and capabilities, 1 battalion of Raider infantry is equal to 3
regular infantry battalions combined. There are currently about 49 raider battalions in the Indonesian Army Infantry branch, with the strength of 650 to 800 men per-battalion. It is larger compared to
regular infantry battalions which only consists about 450 to 570 infantrymen. Even as the Chief of Staff of the Army (Kasad) is planning in the future to qualify all Infantry battalions (except mechanized) as "Raider"-ready,
there are now mechanized battalions which are "Raider"-qualified in addition to their mechanized role. Infantry battalions in the Indonesian Army originates from different combat organisations or corps, there are several infantry battalions part of
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
and some are part of the territorial military commands (Kodams), the same case also falls to Raider Infantry battalions. Currently, there are now 3
Airborne infantry brigades in the Indonesian Army which are all "
Raider" qualified (called as: Para-raider), and are all part of the
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
.
The
International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is an international research institute or think tank focusing on defence and security issues. Since 1997, its headquarters have been at Arundel House in London. It has offices on four co ...
' ''The Military Balance 2024'' report listed 47 independent infantry battalions: 3 mechanized, 20 raider, and 24 regular. More battalions are part of infantry brigades, with 2 mechanized infantry brigades containing 3 mechanized battalions and eleven infantry brigades typically containing 3 battalions each, both raider and regular.
The Infantry
beret colors of the Indonesian army are as shown below:
*
Regular Infantry soldiers wear: Light Green Beret with crossed-rifle insignia
*
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
infantrymen wear: Dark Green Beret with Kostrad emblem,
(Airborne units are added a paratrooper wing insignia on the beret)
*
Raider infantrymen wear: Dark Green beret with
bayonet
A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...
emblem
*
Mechanized Infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps).
As defined by the United States Army, me ...
men wear: Dark Green beret with Mechanized Infantry emblem
There are today 5 types of Infantry battalions in the Indonesian Army, which are:
#
Parachute
A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
-Raider Infantry Battalion (abbreviated "Yonif Para Raider"): are
Airborne infantry battalions part of
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
which are able in
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...
and
Raid
RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
operations.
# Mechanized-Raider Infantry Battalion (abbreviated "Yonif Mekanis Raider"): are Raider infantry battalions which are
Mechanized that are special operations-capaable which also can carry out
urban warfare
Urban warfare is warfare in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both Military operation, operational and the Military tactics, tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the p ...
and ground mechanized-infantry operations.
#
Raider Infantry Battalion (abbreviated "Yonif Raider"): are infantry battalions which are basically trained for
Raid warfare and
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...
operations.
#
Mechanized Infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps).
As defined by the United States Army, me ...
Battalion (abbreviated "Yonif Mekanis"): are mobilized infantry battalions, equipped with
APCs and
IFVs.
# Infantry Battalion (abbreviated "Yonif"): are
light Infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
battalions.
All infantrymen of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Army included, have capabilities in
Jungle warfare
Jungle warfare or woodland warfare is warfare in forests, jungles, or similar environments. The term encompasses military operations affected by the terrain, climate, vegetation, and wildlife of densely-wooded areas, as well as the strategies a ...
.
Para-Raider infantry battalions
Raider infantry battalions

In the
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...
, the ''Raider'' Infantry (In Indonesia known as ''Yonif Raider'') is a type of specialized-infantry above of
regular infantry which are trained to conduct
Raids,
military extraction (hostage rescue),
counter-terrorist,
airborne,
Guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
and
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy l ...
operations. It also is trained to conduct
urban and
jungle warfare
Jungle warfare or woodland warfare is warfare in forests, jungles, or similar environments. The term encompasses military operations affected by the terrain, climate, vegetation, and wildlife of densely-wooded areas, as well as the strategies a ...
.
The first ten battalions of the raider infantry which were inaugurated on December 22, 2003, were formed by transforming 8 battalions of territorial commands and 2
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
battalions. As a counterweight force, the strength of a Raider Infantry Battalion (''Yonif Raider'') is equivalent to three times the strength of an
ordinary/regular infantry battalion (Yonif) in the
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
. This infantry unit is back grounded with "Raid" battle tactics known as "Depredation".
Each Raider battalion consists of approximately 810 personnel of all ranks, larger than the normal battalions of around 570 infantrymen. These personnel were given special education and training for six months for modern warfare, guerrilla and anti-guerrilla warfare, and protracted warfare tactics and strategies. Each of these battalions is trained to have triple combat capabilities of
ordinary infantry battalions (Yonifs). Raider infantrymen are trained to perform ambushes, airborne and air assault operations, such as foray from
helicopters
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...
and transport aircraft, while Raider infantrymen in the mechanized battalions are also trained in mechanized and urban warfare operations. 50 personnel each in a Raider battalion are
Counter-terrorism
Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
qualified with other additional specialized skills. The
Kopassus
The Kopassus (, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as Direct action (military), direct action, unconventional warfare, sabot ...
Special Forces Education and Training Center ("Pusdikpassus") located in
Batujajar,
West Java
West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...
is where Raider infantrymen get their advance special operations training before being stationed to their respective Raider battalions. Aside from the Raider battalions, the Indonesian Army also fosters "
Para-Raider" battalions which are Raider infantry units qualified as
Airborne which all are within the
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
corps. There are also Raider infantry battalions which are
Mechanised (''Mekanis Raider'') in the Army, the units are the 411th, 412th, and 413th Mechanized-Raider Infantry Battalions which are part of the 6th Infantry Brigade,
2nd Kostrad Infantry Division and the
113th Raider Infantry Battalion (Mechanized) from the 25th Infantry Brigade,
Kodam Iskandar Muda.
Other infantry battalions
Regular infantry battalions
Regular infantry battalions below are categorized as
Light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
battalions, which some are "Raider" qualified. They are addressed as "Yonif" (abbreviated from ''Batal
yon Infanteri'') in Indonesia, for example Yonif 125 means: 125th Infantry Battalion. The lists are as shown below:
# 116th Infantry Battalion
# 121st Infantry Battalion
# 122nd Infantry Battalion
# 123rd Infantry Battalion
# 125th Infantry Battalion
# 126th Infantry Battalion
# 131st Infantry Battalion
# 132nd Infantry Battalion
# 133rd Infantry Battalion
# 141st Infantry Battalion
# 143rd Infantry Battalion
# 144th Infantry Battalion
# 310th Infantry Battalion
# 312th Infantry Battalion
# 315th Infantry Battalion
# 403rd Infantry Battalion
# 405th Infantry Battalion
# 406th Infantry Battalion
# 407th Infantry Battalion
# 410th Infantry Battalion
# 511th Infantry Battalion
# 527th Infantry Battalion
# 611th Infantry Battalion
# 623rd Infantry Battalion
# 642nd Infantry Battalion
# 644th Infantry Battalion
# 645th Infantry Battalion
# 711th Infantry Battalion
# 713th Infantry Battalion
#
714th Infantry Battalion
# 721st Infantry Battalion
# 725th Infantry Battalion
# 726th Infantry Battalion
# 731st Infantry Battalion
# 732nd Infantry Battalion
# 734th Infantry Battalion
# 742nd Infantry Battalion
# 743rd Infantry Battalion
# 757th Infantry Battalion
# 761st Infantry battalion
# 764th Infantry Battalion
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps).
As defined by the United States Army, me ...
battalions (including Raider battalions)
* Part of the 1st
Capital City Defense Mechanized Infantry Brigade,
Kodam Jaya (Brigade Infanteri 1 Pengaman Ibu Kota/''"Jaya Sakti"'')
# 201st Mechanized Infantry Battalion
# 202nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion
# 203rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion
* Part of the 6th Mechanized Raider Infantry Brigade,
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
(Brigade Infanteri Mekanis 6/''"Trisakti Baladaya"'')
# 411th Mechanized Infantry Battalion (Raider qualified)
# 412th Mechanized Infantry Battalion (Raider qualified)
# 413th Mechanized Infantry Battalion (Raider qualified)
* Part of the 14th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Kostrad (Brigade Infanteri Mekanis 14/''"Mandala Yudha"'')
# 318th Mechanized Infantry Battalion
# 320th Mechanized Infantry Battalion
* Part of the 16th Mechanized Infantry Brigade,
Kodam V/Brawijaya (Brigade Infanteri 16/''"Wira Yudha"'')
# 512th Mechanized Infantry Battalion
# 516th Mechanized Infantry Battalion
# 521st Mechanized Infantry Battalion
* Part of
Kodam XII/Tanjungpura military district command
# 643rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion.
* Part of
Kodam IX/Udayana military district command
# 741st Mechanized Infantry Battalion
* Part of
Kodam IV/Diponegoro military district command
# 403rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion
* Part of 091/Aji Surya Natakusuma Military Area command
# 611th Mechanized Infantry Battalion
* Part of 25th Infantry Brigade,
Kodam Iskandar Muda
#113th Mechanized Infantry Battalion (Raider qualified)
See also
*
1st Kostrad Infantry Division
*
2nd Kostrad Infantry Division
*
3rd Kostrad Infantry Division
Notes
Further reading
*Ken Conboy, Kopassus: Inside Indonesia's Special Forces, Equinox Publishing, Jakarta/Singapore, 2003 - mentions many Indonesian battalions in his history of the special forces from the 1950s to the present.
Kostrad order of battle 1999, listing infantry battalions among other units*Douglas Kammem, Notes on the Transformation of the East Timor Military Command and its Implications for Indonesia, Indonesia 67, April 1999
{{Indonesian Army
Battalions of Indonesia
Infantry battalions