Former Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Receives Prestigious Military Award

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen congratulating former Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD), General (Rtd) Budiman, after the MSM(M) investiture.

The former Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD), General (GEN) (Rtd) Budiman, was conferred Singapore's prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentara) [or Meritorious Service Medal (Military)], by President Tony Tan Keng Yam. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the award to GEN (Rtd) Budiman at the Ministry of Defence this morning.

GEN (Rtd) Budiman was conferred the award for his contributions towards the strong and long-standing defence relations between the TNI-AD and the Singapore Army. The TNI-AD and the Singapore Army conduct regular bilateral exercises such as Exercise Chandrapura and Exercise Safkar Indopura, which marked its 25th anniversary in 2013. Both armies also enjoy a wide range of interactions, such as the Professional Interaction Programme between the Singapore Army's 3rd Division and the TNI-AD's Strategic Reserve Command (KOSTRAD), the Joint Army Training Working Group Meeting and the Army Executive Meeting. These frequent interactions and exchanges have strengthened the camaraderie and mutual understanding between both Armies.