 He was then assigned to the Washington, D.C. Embassy as an aide to the defense attache, before becoming a secretary to the Panglima in 1983 and a general planning staff at TNI headquarters.After further diplomatic placements, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1997, became the deputy head of public affairs in 1998, and eventually head of public affairs in 1999 along with a promotion to major general.During the presidency of Abdurrahman Wahid, Sudrajat openly disputed with Wahid on the interpretation of the Indonesian Constitution about the president being having authority over all military branches, with Sudrajat stating that the Constitution does not imply the President of Indonesia being the highest commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.