Navy plans to get two more submarines by 2040

KOTA KINABALU: The Royal Malaysian Navy plans to get two more submarines in the next 20 years as it prepares to face “new challenges”.

 

Chief of Navy Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin said the Navy plans to get one between 2031 and 2035 and another between 2036 and 2040.

 

“We are faced with new challenges in our efforts to safeguard the security of our waters.

 

“We are constantly improving our strategies and increasing our abilities to face these challenges,” he said during the handing over of duties for the Submarine Force Commander at the Sepanggar Naval Base here on Monday.

 

He said this is part of the Navy's effort to modernise and keep its assets up to date to face current challenges.

 

Meanwhile, Kamarulzaman said the handing over of duties of the Submarine Force Commander between Capt Abdullah Sani Ismail and Rear Admiral Zulhelmy Ithnain will see Zulhelmy take on a heavy task in maintaining security at sea.

 

“Rear Admiral Zulhelmy will be shouldering the task of making sure our strategic assets are in the best condition to face any challenge,” he said.

 

He said the presence of submarines in Malaysian waters gave the country a maritime advantage, especially in dealing with issues such as the overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

 

Apart from the handing-over of duties, nine navy trainees were given badges after completing a submarine training course, placing them on par with international trained submariners.

 

“Locally-conducted training has helped the Government reduce training costs by up to 75% compared to when the courses were done out of the country,” Kamarulzaman said.