KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has boosted its radar surveillance and cyber defence capabilities to better safeguard its maritime territory, including near the Sabah coast and in the South China Sea, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said the enhancement of radar systems and military assets is part of a broader effort to ensure continuous monitoring and defence readiness.
"We have increased our radar coverage to better monitor the waters of Sabah and the South China Sea. This has been discussed in Parliament.
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"The upgrading of radar assets is not only about land, air, or sea issues, but about strengthening all of them," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Awang Solahuddin Hashim (PN-Pendang) during Question Time on Monday (Aug 11).
Awang Solahuddin had asked the Defence Ministry about its plans to deploy key assets to improve security at the country's maritime borders.
Adly added that Malaysia was also planning a significant push into cyber and electromagnetic defence under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
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This includes expanding capabilities in those areas and strengthening the military’s cyber command infrastructure, he said.
"We are enhancing our cyber command and all other aspects to ensure that our national security is always protected," he added.
Adly also said the procurement of new assets, including littoral mission ships (LMS) and littoral combat ships (LCS), is ongoing.
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"These assets are part of a comprehensive plan to safeguard our sovereignty," he added.
He noted that Malaysia does not recognise China's nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea.
"We are constantly in communication with the Foreign Ministry, engaging in diplomacy, but at the same time, we must firmly safeguard our sovereignty and maritime territories," he added.
