Wiranto

Wiranto (born April 4, 1947) is a retired Indonesian army General. He was commander of the military of Indonesia from February 1998 to October 1999, and ran unsuccessfully for president of Indonesia in 2004.

Background

Wiranto was born in Yogyakarta and grew up in Surakarta (Solo), both in central Java. He attended the National Military Academy, graduating in 1968. He spent the early part of his military career in North Sulawesi, far from the centers of power in Indonesia. He became a battalion commander in 1982, and moved to East Java in 1985 to join the command of the Army's elite Kostrad (Strategic Force).

Related Topics:
Yogyakarta - Surakarta - Java - North Sulawesi - East Java

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In 1989, his career had a major break when he was appointed as a personal assistant to President Suharto. After that point, his close association with Suharto ensured that he advanced quickly as an officer; in 1995 became a three-star general as commander of Kostrad, a position Suharto himself had held in the 1960s, and in 1997 he became a four-star general and Army chief-of-staff. He was widely thought to be one of Suharto's most loyal supporters, and many observers both within and outside of Indonesia considered him to be a likely candidate when Suharto chose his successor.

Related Topics:
Suharto - Chief-of-staff

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