DEFENSE COOPERATION -- CHANGE IN NAVY CHIEF COULD

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 003128

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP, PM, PM/ISO, ISN, INR/EAP
SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/AP P.IPSEN
JOINT STAFF FOR P.CLEMMONS
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2017
TAGS: PGOV MARR PREL ID
SUBJECT: DEFENSE COOPERATION -- CHANGE IN NAVY CHIEF COULD
BOOST MIL-MIL ENGAGEMENT

REF: JAKARTA 2893

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Vice Admiral Sumardjono has replaced Admiral
Slamet Soebijanto as Indonesia's Naval Chief of Staff.
Sumardjono--who had been serving as Indonesian Defense
Department Inspector General--was sworn in by President
Yudhoyono on November 7; the actual change of command will
occur November 12. Soebijanto's sudden departure is seen as
a sign of President Yudhoyono's displeasure. The transition
could offer an opportunity to move forward on navy-navy
engagement, which lagged under Soebijanto. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT: Soebijanto--who has been Navy
Chief since 2005--had been expected to step down in summer
2008 upon reaching his statutory retirement age. The new
Chief, Sumardjono, is from essentially the same cohort as
Soebijanto and is only 17 days younger, making the
appointment a temporary one until a more permanent successor
is found. Moreover, Sumardjono had been under consideration
for Navy Chief in 2005, but had been passed over by SBY in
favor of Soebijanto. In this newest appointment, Vice
Admiral Djoko Sumaryono, Head of Sea Security Coordination,
and Vice Admiral Didik Heru Purnomo, Deputy Chief of Naval
Staff, were also reportedly in the running. Both of them are
graduates of the Australian Staff College and considered to
be relatively pro-Western. Sumardjono's orientation is less
clear. All three are three-star admirals.


3. (C) PRESIDENTIAL DISPLEASURE?: The sudden announcement
and brusque execution of the change of command suggest an
unceremonious ouster. One likely cause is said to be
Soebijanto's public criticism of the proposed Defense
Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with Singapore. President
Yudhoyono had taken a personal interest in the DCA and had
been embarrassed by the stiff resistance it has encountered
from the Indonesian legislature, jeopardizing what he had
hoped would be a key foreign-policy achievement.
Soebijanto's discordant remarks had reportedly deeply angered
the President. Soebijanto was also rumored to be on bad
terms with TNI headquarters.


4. (C) A BOOST FOR ENGAGEMENT?: The change may open up the
possibility of improved U.S. cooperation with the Indonesian
Navy. In contrast to his Indonesian Air Force and Army
counterparts, Soebijanto had remained cool to engagement with
the United States, had shown little interest in procuring
U.S.-origin equipment and had caviled over several key
aspects of proposed U.S. assistance under Section 1206 of the
NDAA for FY2007 and FY2008, including coastal radars. He had
also expressed concern about the United States as an arms
supplier, asserting it was "unreliable partner," in part
because of difficulties in obtaining U.S. spare parts
(reftel). It remains to be seen whether Sumaryono is more
open to U.S. engagement and assistance, but Soebijanto's
ouster may provide a fortuitous opportunity to put this
assistance back on track and to move forward in other areas
as well.


5. (U) BIO NOTE: Previously Sumardjono had served as TNI
Inspector General, Commandant of the TNI Command and Staff
College, TNI Navy Assistant for Plans and Budget and a
commander in the Western Fleet. He is a 1974 graduate of the
Indonesian Naval Academy. He was born in Yogyakarta on June
21, 1951. He speaks limited English.

HUME