SINGAPORE: The United States has assured Malaysia that it will consider selling missiles as a solution to the issues facing the country regarding the acquisition of the weapons system from Norway, says Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic).
He said the matter was raised by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue here taking place from Friday (May 29) to Sunday (May 31).
He said he also briefed Hegseth on the issues Malaysia is facing over the purchase of NSM from Norway and sought the United States' view on the matter.
"We have asked the United States for its views to help find a solution to the issue at hand because it is well known that there is a US company that manufactures the same missile as Norway.
"We have asked whether the United States is willing to allow the sale of the missile to us to address the problem at hand," he said.
The Norwegian government was previously reported to have revoked the export license of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missile to Malaysia and its associated launcher system on the grounds of protecting the country's security.
According to the Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace US website, the NSM procurement was signed between the Royal Malaysian Navy and KDA in April 2018 with a contract value of 124 million euros (RM571.9mil) to equip six new Littoral Combat Ships.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said the US also proposed sharing information related to the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) implemented by Malaysia.
In other developments, he held a meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles to discuss efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation between the two countries.
He said the cooperation includes the establishment of a Joint Planning Committee, expanded information sharing and preparations for the upcoming Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee (HLC) and Five-Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) meetings.
"I congratulate Australia on the implementation of the National Defence Strategy 2026 (NDS 2026) and Integrated Investment Programme 2026 (IIP 2026) as important steps in strengthening its defence capabilities and readiness," he said.
Regarding Canada, Mohamed Khaled said Malaysia and the country were ready to strengthen defence ties through more formal cooperation.
"We propose that a formal form of defence cooperation be established that is signed by both countries because currently the existing cooperation is not based on any agreement," he said.
The Shangri-La Dialogue IISS 2026 organised by The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore brought together defence ministers, military chiefs and diplomats from dozens of countries to discuss regional and global security and defence issues. – Bernama
