20,980 Troops Deployed to Jakarta Amid Wiretapping Scandal

Indonesian military officials confirmed Wednesday that more than 20,000 troops are being deployed to Jakarta to bolster security in the capital.

The deployment brings the total number of personnel stationed in and around the city to 20,980, according to Vice Adm. Yayan Sofiyan, the navy operations assistant. The first phase of the mobilization began on Monday with 2,100 personnel from units already located in Jakarta. Additional troops from marine and navy units, training centers, and naval bases in Java and Lampung province began arriving on Wednesday. Sofiyan stated that another 13,140 personnel remain on standby for potential future deployment.

The military buildup coincides with a high-profile investigation into an alleged illegal wiretapping operation targeting President Prabowo Subianto. Indonesian police announced late Tuesday that they had detained three senior police generals as suspects in the case. The three individuals are Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the presidential chief of staff; Ahrie Sonta Nasution; and Eko Hadi Santoso. Police said the suspects were detained on Sunday.

Authorities allege that the unauthorized wiretapping occurred between 2025 and 2026, a period when Listyo served as the police chief. The investigation centers on illegal interception of communications, unlawful access to electronic systems, and the deletion of electronic data. Police claim the suspects ordered the wiretaps without following proper procedure. They also accuse the men of ordering the deletion of files containing intercepted communications in late October, an action allegedly intended to conceal evidence.

Minister of State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi addressed the implications of the scandal at a news conference at the presidential palace on Wednesday. He stated that surveillance of a head of state raises serious national security concerns because it exposes sensitive information that could endanger the nation's leadership. Hadi described the conduct as potentially leading toward treason. "What they did could be considered as leading toward an act of treason because it endangers state interests, including the country’s leadership," he said. The government is awaiting the outcome of the police investigation before determining the specific motives of the suspects.

Maj. Gen. Muhammad Nas, the Indonesian armed forces spokesperson, characterized the troop movement as a standard procedure for maintaining national security and territorial integrity. "Troop deployments are a normal occurrence," Nas said. He added that the military must always be prepared to protect the entire nation and safeguard the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia. Sofiyan did not specify if the deployment was directly linked to the wiretapping probe or political tensions.

Experts note that the identity of the targets distinguishes this case from typical surveillance operations. Bambang Rukminto, a police analyst at the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies, argued that wiretapping a sitting president is more serious than monitoring business executives or political party leaders. "But if the target is the president, what would the motive be? Intimidating the president is clearly not a plausible explanation," Rukminto said. He urged investigators to determine who benefited from the operation.

Adrianus Meliala, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia and former commissioner of the National Police Commission, suggested the surveillance may have served interests outside the police force. "There is a strong suspicion that the wiretapping was carried out not in the interests of the state or the National Police, but for the interests of other parties," Meliala said. He noted that if the allegations are proven, the case could be understood as political maneuvering.

The three suspects face charges related to unlawful interception and obstruction of nonpublic electronic communications. The offenses carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The suspects have not responded publicly to the allegations. Authorities have also indicated that cabinet officials, politicians, journalists, and business executives were potentially subjected to the unauthorized surveillance.