KUALA LUMPUR: National security threats were no longer confined to conventional or traditional warfare, with hybrid threats increasingly targeting the way people think and behave, says Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
“Cognitive warfare uses planned strategies to influence how people think, evaluate information, make decisions and act,” he said when winding up the debate at the 2026 Umno general assembly here on Saturday (Sept 12).
He said such efforts could involve misinformation, fake news, propaganda through digital platforms, exploitation of algorithms and psychological operations.
He said the aim was to influence how society thought and behaved, potentially creating social instability, polarisation, division and disharmony.
Khaled said such threats could also erode national identity and eventually trigger serious religious and racial conflicts if society became increasingly divided.
He said national resilience therefore could not depend solely on advanced defence assets or the readiness of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
“National resilience is not just about having advanced assets and ensuring the readiness of our troops. We must also build people's resilience,” he said.
Khaled said public resilience meant the ability of Malaysians to face challenges and crises, adapt to changing circumstances, recover and continue functioning.
He said Umno could contribute to this by strengthening patriotism and love for the country, while its leaders should use their position in communities to promote unity and prevent people from being influenced by divisive propaganda.
Khaled said Umno leaders should also reject extremism and remind Malaysians that defending the country was a shared responsibility.
“It is not the responsibility of the Malaysian Armed Forces alone to defend the country. It is a shared responsibility,” he said.
Meanwhile, Umno will only decide after the next general election whether to raise the membership age limit for its Puteri wing to 40.
Khaled, who chairs the party’s Constitution and Rules Committee, said the proposal had strong support from Puteri Umno but could not be considered in isolation as it would also affect Wanita Umno and the party as a whole.
“The party has decided to make a decision on the motion after the next general election. This is because we want to ensure everyone gives their full attention and focus to efforts to win the election,” he said.
He said the matter also needed to be considered alongside preparations for the next general election, particularly if 30% of candidates were to come from women, including Puteri.
Khaled gave an assurance to both wings that his committee would work towards a solution acceptable to them.
