Indonesian President Joko Widodo has nominated the air force chief of staff to be the new commander of the armed forces (TNI), to replace a controversial general who is due to retire in April. Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, a 1986 Air Force Academy graduate, is no stranger to the President. He served as head of the Adi Soemarmo air base in Surakarta, Central Java, when Jokowi was Surakarta mayor in 2010 and 2011. TNI commander General Gatot Nurmantyo is perceived by many analysts as making a play for political power through an appeal to both nationalism and Islam.