ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how the military came to power. It examines the military command structures that existed on the eve of 1 October, before detailing how General Suharto was able to take advantage of the situation presented to him. The chapter argues that Suharto’s actions from 1 October represent the culmination of two distinct, yet overlapping processes. First, a long-term plan developed by the military leadership under then Army Commander Yani to confront and seize control of the state through the activation of existing military command structures. Second, a reactive and largely opportunistic course of action undertaken by Suharto when he found himself in control of the Indonesian armed forces following Yani’s murder. This military coup led to a brutal, self-described, ‘annihilation campaign’ that was centrally coordinated by the surviving national military leadership under Suharto. The military leadership, meanwhile, was deeply ideologically opposed to the spread of communism within Indonesia.
