The Presidential Security Force of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

( abbreviated "Paspampres") is one of the Central Executive Agencies () of the

Indonesian National Armed Forces The Indonesian National Armed Forces (; abbreviated as TNI) are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Indonesian Army, Army (''TNI-AD''), Indonesian Navy, Navy (''TNI-AL''), and Indonesian Air Force, Air Force ('' ...

responsible for proximate security and escort towards the

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

and

VVIP A very important person (VIP or V.I.P.) or personage is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social rank, status, influence, or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War II when it was popular ...

, which includes the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

with their immediate families, former Presidents and Vice Presidents, and visiting foreign

heads of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

. Paspampres is based in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

,Combat Handgun, October 2008. Pages 72-74. and its personnel are drawn from deputized best-chosen officers, soldiers, seamen, marines, and airmen from special forces and/or special units within the

(TNI) (and until 2000, from the

Indonesian National Police The Indonesian National Police (, abbreviated as POLRI) is the national law enforcement and police force of the Republic of Indonesia. Founded on 1 July 1946, it was formerly a part of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, country's military si ...

). It is commanded by a two-star

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

History

The formation date of the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres) is based on the operation to evacuate President

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

, Vice President

Mohammad Hatta Mohammad Hatta ( ; 12 August 1902 – 14 March 1980) was an Indonesian statesman, nationalist, and independence activist who served as the country's first Vice President of Indonesia, vice president as well as the third prime minister. Known as ...

, Prime Minister Sutan Syahrir as well as several ministers and high-ranking government officials from

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

on 3 January 1946, This operation was based on the safety concerns of the President and VIPs about the allied forces intimidation in Jakarta. The rescue operation was conducted using the a code-name for the special Presidential

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-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 ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

. This date is commemorated as or Paspampres Service Day. The formation of a formal force dedicated to protecting the Indonesian president only came after several

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

attempts on President Sukarno. On 6 June 1962 a special regiment known as the Tjakrabirawa Regiment, was formed to protect the president and his family. June 6 was also the birthday of President Sukarno. consisted of personnel from the army, navy, air force and police. In 1966, it was dissolved due its taking part in an army-led abortive coup d'état in 1965. The 1st Battalion's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Untung Syamsuri, led the coup attempt and its members carried out the kidnappings of army generals who were later murdered. The protection of the president was then entrusted to an Army Military Police Task Force (Satgas POMAD) in 1966. A new presidential protection force named (an abbreviation of or "Presidential Escort Force") was formed on the 13 January 1976, under the command of the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

and Commander of the Armed Forces. This force was renamed in 1988 becoming the current Paspampres. Today, Paspampres has strength of about 2,500 personnel and is headed by a two-star

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

from the TNI.

Responsibility and tasks

Responsibility

According to Indonesian Government Regulation No. 59/2013, the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres) is responsible for the physical security at close range at all times of: *president and vice-president along with their immediate families, *former presidents and vice-presidents, *foreign

heads of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

/heads of government visiting Indonesia Other than those main duties, Paspampres is also tasked with state-protocol duties to support the main tasks of the

. Specific security duties for VVIPs as specified in article 3 of the Government Regulation No. 59/2013, include: #Personal security; #Installation security; #Activity security; #Rescue security; #Food safety; #Medical security; #News security; and #Escort

Tasks

Currently, the main tasks of the Paspampres are to: # provide protection for VVIPs and to ensure the safety of

s from any immediate danger, # Secure installations which include security personnel, material, and all facilities used by the VVIP, # perform emergency rescue of VVIPs, # provide direct protection at close quarters from all forms of threats to VVIPs while traveling, # ensure the safety of food and medically related materials consumed by VVIPs, # provide honour guards and the Presidential Band during

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...

s and other state occasions if required

Organisation

The organisation of Paspampres are as follows: *Leadership element, consist of the Commandant and Deputy Commandant *Leadership assistance element, consist of Inspectorate, Planning Staff, Intelligence Staff, Operations Staff, Personnel Staff and Logistics Staff. *Service staff element, consist of Chief of Staff, Secretariat and Headquarters Detachment. *Executive element agencies, consisting of several operational detachments and a separate armoured detachment ( abbreviated "Dronkavser") equipped with APCs **The Special Security Detachment performs daily duties, such as close protection towards the President, Vice President with their immediate families. The Special Security Detachment consists of: ***Commando Group ( - "Pokko"), each commanded by a

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. ****GROUP A, consisting of 4 Detachments, conducts close-range physical security towards the

with their immediate family. ****GROUP B, consisting of 4 Detachments, conducts close-range physical security towards the

with their immediate family. ****GROUP C, in charge of close-range physical security towards visiting

s during their visit to Indonesia. According to article 22 of the Government Regulation No. 59/2013, visiting foreign VVIPS includes the President, King, Emperor, Queen, His Highness, Pope, Governor-General, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chancellor, and Secretary-General of the United Nations. This unit also consists of 1 training detachment in charge of training and fostering the ability of Paspampres personnel. ****GROUP D, consisting of 4 Detachments carrying out close physical security towards former Presidents and Vice Presidents with their immediate families ***Private Escort Company ***Special Security Company ***Debarment Platoon **The State Protocol Escort Battalion ( abbreviated "") is tasked for escort and ceremonial duties such as

Honour guard A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

duties,

Public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion (Armenia), Honour Guard Battalion of the Mi ...

, and Guard mounting. It has more than 400 guardsmen and detachments from this unit are assigned operationally to the four close-protection Groups mentioned above (Group A-D). This battalion is also responsible for the external security of the national official residences. Yonwalprotneg paspampres bendera

Reporting sub-units

* Presidential Band * Group A Presidential Honor Guard Battalion * Group B Vice Presidential Honor Guard Battalion * Protocol and Honor Guard Battalion

Bogor Palace The Bogor Palace (; ) is one of seven presidential palaces of Indonesia, it is located in the city of Bogor, West Java. The palace is noted for its distinctive architectural and historical features, as well as the adjoining botanical gardens. Ist ...

* Protocol and Honor Guard Battalion National Palaces of Jakarta (

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

and State Palace) * Protocol and Honor Guard Battalion Garuda Palace * Protocol and Honor Company

Gedung Agung The Gedung Agung ( English'': The Great Building''; ) is one of seven presidential palaces of Indonesia, it is located in the city of Yogyakarta. The palace complex covers an area of approximately 4.4 hectares. It is located in front of Fort Vrede ...

* Horse Guards Troop and State Coach Troop (raised 2015) * State Lancer Guard Troop (raised 2016) * National Color Guards Company (raised 2016, reports to HQ)

Ceremonial duties

Mahathir Mohamad walking with Joko Widodo

Guard of Honor

The Paspampres as a special joint-service command of the TNI, other than responsible for guarding and escorting the President, Vice President and VVIPs, are also responsible to carry out state- protocol duties during official ceremonies such as becoming the Honor Guard during a

and also carrying out

public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion (Armenia), Honour Guard Battalion of the Mi ...

, quarter guard and guard mounting duties for the national official residences. These ceremonial duties of Paspampres are assigned towards personnel of the "State Protocol Escort Battalion" ( abbreviated "Yonwalprotneg"), a detachment of the Paspampres consisting of chosen Military policemen from the Military Police Corps of Indonesia. This detachment is also tasked to become the Cordon Guard during the arrival ceremony at the

airport apron The airport apron, apron, flight line, or ramp is the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled, boarded, or maintained. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it ...

during a state visit and also becomes the main Honour guard during a

and

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

. 4 SPEB's are active, each corresponding to the four regiments of the force, with two assigned as guards of honor for public duties.

Uniform

Honor guards of the Presidential Security Forces of Indonesia

The uniform worn by the Paspampres Honour guard is a

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

full dress uniform with a white buff belt worn on the upper waist, white trousers with white parade boots and a black

shako A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or Cap badge, badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, hackle ...

with white hackle as the headdress. During certain ceremonies such as a

or changing of the guard ceremony, a light blue beret is worn instead for the headdress. At night, a black trouser is worn instead as a mess dress. If on vehicle escort, personnel wear civilian business dress. A peaked cap may also be worn on certain occasions. Cordon Guards () wear dominantly black, with red, and gold dress uniforms. This is different to the Honor Guards () who wear red and white uniforms.

Presidential band

The Paspampres presidential band is a

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

tasked for playing the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

s during a

State visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...

ceremony and performs music accompaniment during state-level receptions or

banquets A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

in the palaces and other official locations when the head of state is present.

Recruitment

Paspampres personnel are recruited and selected from the

(Army, Navy (including Marines), and Air Force). They are selected from special forces and special units within the Armed Forces, such as from

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 ...

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 ...

, Raider Infantry Battalions (Airborne soldiers),

Paskhas The Kopasgat (, Quick Reaction Forces Command) is the air force infantry and special forces corps of the Indonesian Air Force. The corps is also known as the Orange Berets ( in Indonesian) from the colour of their service headgear. Kopasgat i ...

Kopaska The Kopaska () is the premier frogman and underwater demolition unit of the Indonesian Navy. The unit's motto is (Sanskrit for "There is no obstacle that cannot be defeated"). The unit's main duties are underwater demolition (raiding enemy s ...

Denjaka Denjaka (abbreviation from ; 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 ( KOPASKA) and the Marine Corps' ...

Taifib Taifib () is an elite recon unit within the Indonesian Marine Corps which is tasked for conducting amphibious reconnaissance and special reconnaissance. It is operationally similar to the Combat Reconnaissance Platoon (, abbreviated "Tontaipur" ...

and

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

, as well as

military policemen Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

which are then tasked for escort and

. Each individual (men) has to be more than 175 cm tall and minimal 180 cm tall for

close protection A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public officials, wealthy business ...

agents, each of them gets rigorous military training (sharp shooting, tactical combat, diving) and special

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

s training, such as Yong Moodo,

Pencak Silat Pencak silat (; in Western writings sometimes spelled "pentjak silat" or phonetically as "penchak silat") is a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It ...

, Tarung Derajat,

Mixed Martial Arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

, and

Aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

. All Paspampres personnel are required to be proficient in at least in one of the martial arts, and it was proven by becoming second winners in the World Yong Moodo (Korean martial arts) Championship 2013. Paspampres personnel must carry out their duties with a high level of vigilance against any possible threat and are prepared to sacrifice their own life if required for the President, Vice President, and VVIP.

Equipments

Weaponry

Some of the weapons used by Paspampres:

Vehicles

Apart from the official presidential cars which are a number of Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard limousines, the Paspampres also operate other tactical vehicles, such as:

References

External links

Official WebsitePaspampres video 1Paspampres video 2Paspampres video 3The State Protocol Escort Battalion (Yonwalprotneg) of PaspampresPaspampres shooting exercise
{{Authority control Military units and formations of Indonesia Special forces of Indonesia Protective security units Guards of honour Bodyguards Military units and formations established in 1946