High-rank handshake: Mohamed Khaled (sixth from left) and Defence Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali (seventh from left) posing for a photo with Asean naval commanders at the 19th ANCM in Batu Ferringhi. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Asean must close ranks in facing mounting maritime threats, from territorial disputes to illegal fishing and cyber intrusions, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said challenges in the region’s maritime domain are becoming increasingly complex, adding that fragmented responses risk leaving the region vulnerable.
"From traditional power rivalries and territorial disputes to non-traditional threats like illegal fishing, cyber intrusions and disinformation, no single navy, agency or government can address these alone.
"Our response must not be fragmented. It must be united, decisive and future-focused," he said at the 19th Asean Navy Chiefs’ Meeting (ANCM) held here yesterday.
The ANCM aims to enhance cooperative capabilities through multilateral exercises while fostering cohesion and mutual trust among Asean navies through engagement activities and dialogue sessions.
Themed "Advancing the Asean Navies' Unity – Synergising Innovation and Technology in Strengthening Asean Maritime Security", the five-day event closes on Friday.
It involves 88 naval delegates from 10 Asean countries and 10 participating ships carrying about 1,350 officers and personnel for the Asean Multilateral Naval Exercise segment.
Mohamed Khaled said in upholding Asean centrality and neutrality, the region must also strengthen solidarity.
He said the existence of grey-zone tactics such as foreign incursions, maritime coercion and the subtle undermining of sovereignty continues to test the region’s resolve.
In facing these challenges, he said Asean must remain the anchor of maritime order in the region.
"International laws, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, must be the foundation on which our cooperation stands.
"Asean's solidarity remains a goal that we all must actively work toward," he said, adding that the strength of Asean will be realised only when the region speaks with one voice.
Mohamed Khaled said the choice of Asean naval leadership in Penang, a maritime hub with deep historical and strategic ties to the Melaka Straits, was not just symbolic but strategic.
He said the Malaysian navy was playing its role through operations such as the Melaka Straits Patrol and the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement.
Mohamed Khaled proposed that the Asean Maritime Innovation Challenge encourage young naval officers and academies to suggest low-cost, high-impact solutions to maritime challenges.
He also proposed a region-wide Asean naval project that advances technology adoption, enhances human capital and builds naval capabilities through joint development programmes, and invites Asean members to explore how the region can approach maritime security through the Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society (Wogos) lens.
"Asean should embrace the Wogos model, which unites local governments, civil society, academia, think-tanks and the private sector into a single, unified front," he added.
