Indonesia: Prabowo Raises TNI's Performance Allowance After 8 Years

President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia has officially approved an increase in the performance allowance (tunjangan kinerja: tukin) for personnel of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Ministry of Defense (Kemhan). This marks the first adjustment in approximately eight years, since 2018, and is enacted through two Presidential Decrees (Perpres). The decrees, namely Presidential Decree No. 42 of 2026 concerning Performance Allowances for Personnel within the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and Presidential Decree No. 43 of 2026 concerning Performance Allowances for Personnel within the Ministry of Defense, were signed by President Prabowo in July 2026. According to Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defense Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defense, these decrees replace the old regulations from 2018 (Perpres No. 102 of 2018 and Perpres No. 104 of 2018). Brigadier General Sirait highlighted that despite the absence of performance allowance index adjustments for the Ministry of Defense and TNI since 2018, their duties and responsibilities have continuously increased. These tasks include maintaining national sovereignty, disaster response, strengthening food security, supporting development in remote areas, and securing vulnerable regions. He believes this allowance adjustment is a form of government appreciation for the achievements in bureaucratic reform and the improved performance of the Ministry of Defense and TNI. The increase in tukin is expected to serve as a motivator for all personnel to enhance their professionalism, accountability, and quality of service to the nation. The new performance allowance amounts are tiered according to each soldier's or employee's job class. For instance, personnel in job class 1, generally the lowest rank, will now receive Rp 2.5 million per month, an increase of approximately Rp 600,000 from the previous Rp 1.9 million. Allowances for job classes 2 to 8 will range from Rp 2,931,100 to Rp 5,472,100. Job classes 9 to 11 will receive between Rp 6,276,600 and Rp 9,852,300. For job classes 12 to 14, the allowance will be Rp 11,133,000 to Rp 19,485,000. Job class 15 will receive Rp 21,690,000, job class 16 Rp 30,058,800, and job class 17 Rp 37,395,000. Above these classes, three-star generals, such as the Deputy Commander of the TNI, will receive Rp 44,874,000. Four-star generals, including the Chiefs of Staff of each branch, will receive the highest allowance, Rp 48,613,500.