Jakarta. Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono has been nominated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as the new commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) replacing General Andika Perkasa, a senior lawmaker confirmed on Monday.

If approved by the House of Representatives, Yudo will become the first Navy chief to lead the TNI since August 2013.

Three of the last four TNI commanders have come from the Army, interrupted only by Air Force Chief of Staff Chief Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto who took the helm of the TNI from December 2017-November 2021.

General Andika is set to reach retirement age on December 21.

“I was informed that the Navy chief of staff is the president’s sole pick, period,” Tubagus Hasanuddin, a member of the defense committee at the House, told reporters in Jakarta.

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Defense committee chairwoman Meutya Hafid said a hearing with the candidate will be held soon after her office gets confirmation from the House leadership about Yudo’s nomination.

"We’re waiting from our leaders but once the [president’s appointment] is received we will arrange the hearing immediately, hopefully this week," Meutya said.

A native of Madiun in East Java, Yudo graduated from the Navy Academy in 1988. He was appointed as the Navy chief of staff on May 20, 2020.

His tenure as the TNI commander will be a short one because he will reach the retirement age of 58 in November 2023.