State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir has replaced Novi Helmy Prasetya as president director of state logistics agency Perum Bulog, only four months after his appointment.

To fill in the vacancy, Erick named Prihasto Setyanto, an advisor at the Ministry of Agriculture for environmental affairs, as the acting president director of Bulog, a critical agency tasked with securing the country’s food logistics and rice procurement.

The reshuffle marks another short-lived leadership stint at Bulog. Novi Helmy had been appointed in February 2025, replacing Wahyu Suparyono, who himself had only held the post for five months since September 2024.

“This decision marks the conclusion of pak Novi Helmy Prasetya’s service as president director of Bulog, allowing him to resume his career and service in the Indonesian Military (TNI),” the company said in a statement on Thursday, July 3, 2025.

Return to military service

Helmy is a career military officer, a graduate of the 1993 National Military Academy and a member of the elite Kopassus special forces. Although initially appointed as a civilian CEO, questions arose about his military status.

Army Chief of Staff General Maruli Simanjuntak clarified that Helmy was no longer an active-duty officer upon his appointment in February, in accordance with Law No. 34/2004 on the TNI.

“He had officially left military service at the time of his appointment,” Maruli said at the Parliament complex on February 13, 2025.

However, according to then TNI spokesman Major General Hariyanto, Helmy has since been reappointed within the military and has now assumed the role of Commandant General of the Military Academy, a position equivalent to a three-star general (Lieutenant General). “That role is equivalent to an Echelon I post, the same as Bulog’s top executive position,” he said on February 11.

Helmy brief tenure at Bulog was underpinned by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the TNI and the SOEs Ministry, aiming to bolster national food security efforts, especially in rice and grain procurement.

The MoU allowed the government to leverage TNI logistics infrastructure, particularly its nationwide network of storage facilities, to strengthen rice distribution and food resilience programs.

“Pak Novi was selected due to his extensive network, including close connections with territorial military personnel such as Babinsa (village-level officers),which are instrumental in supporting food resilience programs,” said Hariyanto.