At the 2025 International Conference on Global Issues (ICGI) hosted by Universitas Nasional (UNAS), Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Chappy Hakim, former Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force (2002–2005) and Senior Advisor at Kiroyan Partners, delivered a compelling address on the evolving role of military leadership in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. The conference took place on November 12, 2025, at the Cyber Auditorium, Universitas Nasional campus in Jakarta. The gathering brought together leading academics, diplomats, policy experts, and young professionals from around the world to engage in dialogue on security, diplomacy, and global peacebuilding.
In his session titled “From Defense to Diplomacy: The Role of Military Leadership in Fostering Peace”, Chappy highlighted how the accelerating pace of geopolitical tension and non-traditional security challenges demands a more integrated model of leadership; one grounded not only in capability, but in ethics, responsibility, and human-centered decision-making.
Reframing Military Purpose for a Complex Century
Chappy underscored that the highest form of strategic success is not defeating an adversary, but preventing conflict before it emerges. This requires a profound shift in how military institutions define leadership and national strength.
- Moral Leadership as Strategic Capital
Modern military leadership must be anchored in ethical clarity, humility, and moral courage. Strategic decisions today have consequences far beyond the battlefield; they shape public trust, regional stability, and international cooperation.
“Strength is not measured by the ability to fight,” Chappy observed. “True strength lies in the ability to protect, to reassure, and to prevent conflict altogether.”
- A Holistic Approach to Officer Education
Chappy called for expanding military education to include history, psychology, ethics, diplomacy, and geopolitical literacy. This interdisciplinary foundation prepares future officers to act as negotiators, mediators, and peacebuilders; roles that resonate strongly with younger generations seeking purpose-driven careers in public service.
- Air Power as an Instrument of Diplomacy
Drawing on decades of leadership experience, Chappy emphasized the distinctive role of air power in modern statecraft. Beyond deterrence and rapid response, air power supports humanitarian operations that embody the compassionate dimension of national defense.
“Often, the first aircraft to arrive after a crisis is not a fighter jet, but a humanitarian airlift carrying relief and hope,” he noted.
Defense Diplomacy: A Marker of Strategic Maturity
Chappy explained that the evolution from a purely defensive posture to defense diplomacy reflects not weakness, but strategic maturity. In today’s interconnected world, nations must increasingly rely on:
- confidence-building measures,
- peacekeeping and humanitarian missions,
- bilateral and multilateral defense cooperation,
- and frameworks centered on human security.
For Indonesia, an influential democracy and emerging middle power, this approach strengthens the country’s long-standing commitment to dialogue, stability, and independent foreign policy.
A Contribution to Indonesia’s Strategic Discourse
Chappy Hakim has long shaped Indonesia’s strategic conversations on air power, defense modernization, and national resilience. His perspective at ICGI 2025 reinforced a crucial principle: that lasting peace demands ethical leadership, strategic foresight, and a deep human understanding of security.
His message resonates across generations.
For young professionals and Gen Z, many of whom value global citizenship, moral leadership, and societal impact, Chappy’s address offers a compelling framework for the kind of strategic responsibility that the future will demand.
Kiroyan Partners’ Perspective
As Senior Advisor at Kiroyan Partners, Chappy Hakim enriches the firm’s analytical depth in defense, geopolitics, and public policy. His insights strengthen our capacity to help clients navigate complex strategic challenges and engage meaningfully with a broad network of stakeholders.
His participation at ICGI 2025 reflects Kiroyan Partners’ continued commitment to fostering informed, ethical, and constructive public discourse: uniting expertise, institutions, and future leaders in shaping a more stable and collaborative world.
A Forward-Looking Reflection
Chappy Hakim’s message is a timely reminder that peace is not a passive condition but an ongoing endeavor. As the next generation steps into leadership roles, the mandate becomes clear: to build societies where strength is expressed through restraint, where security is grounded in humanity, and where diplomacy is carried out with conviction and humility.
The future of peace will be shaped not only by governments and institutions, but by individuals—young and seasoned—who choose collaboration over division and purpose over power.
Source Acknowledgment
Certain contextual elements in this article are adapted and summarized from an earlier report by Netralnews.com, titled “UNAS Gelar ICGI 2025: Dorong Kolaborasi Global untuk Perdamaian Dunia”.
Kiroyan Partners acknowledges and appreciates Netralnews.com as the original publisher of the referenced event coverage.
