Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing visited Jakarta from July 14 to 15, 2026, where he jointly launched the Indonesia-Singapore Defence Alumni Initiative, also known as PERSAHAN, with Indonesian Defence Minister General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin on July 14 [1, 2, 3]. The initiative aims to bring together generations of officers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) who have trained or studied in each other's countries, maintaining ties beyond service and strengthening people-to-people links across generations[s1–s6].
The alumni network will include current and former SAF and TNI officers, defence attaches and assistant defence attaches, and other officers who have contributed significantly to bilateral defence relations[s2–s6]. PERSAHAN is co-led by Singapore’s Chief of Defence Force Vice-Admiral Aaron Beng and Indonesia’s Armed Forces Commander General Agus Subiyanto as co-presidents[s1–s6]. The launch in Jakarta featured the signing of the founding directive and unveiling of the logo depicting Singapore’s lion and Indonesia’s Garuda [1, 2, 4, 5, 6].
Chan Chun Sing recalled his own ties with TNI officers, saying, "I have made many good friends in the TNI that I grew up with, including Menhan Pak Sjafrie," referring to Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who was made an honorary general in 2025 [3, 4, 5, 6]. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral military cooperation and explore new areas of collaboration during the launch and subsequent meetings [2, 3, 4].
General Agus Subiyanto said, "I was honoured to grace the launch of the initiative, which will strengthen the relationship between individuals from the TNI and SAF, as well as both institutions in the future" [2]. Chan also highlighted the strategic partnership, noting, "Partners like Indonesia and the TNI have been, and will continue to be, critical to the security of this part of the world, and our partnership will continue to promote peace in the broader region" [3].
The Indonesia-Singapore Defence Alumni Initiative launch comes ahead of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2027 [1]. Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing’s working visit included attending the SAF Day reception and meetings to further military ties during July 14–15 [1].
