[4] Upon graduating from the Military Academy in 1987, he began his career in the Infantry and was first commissioned to the 2nd Group Para Commandos, Army Special Forces Command in 1987.

He spent most of his early career as a junior officer in the Army Special Forces for fifteen years, eventually later becoming a lieutenant colonel and a battalion commander in the unit by 2002.

[5][10] During his career in the Army Special Forces (Kopassus), Perkasa participated in various operations, such as in East Timor (1992), Aceh (1994), and Papua, and was also involved in the 2002 capture of Al-Qaeda member Omar al-Faruq in Bogor.

[5][14][15] Several days after the inauguration of President Joko Widodo, Perkasa was appointed the commander of the Presidential Security Force and was promoted to major general.

[18] As of 5 November 2021, Perkasa was the single candidate to replace the retiring ACM Hadi Tjahjanto by the President of Indonesia to the People's Representative Council.