KOTA TINGGI: Malaysia is considering a fresh allocation to procure replacement surface-to-surface missile systems for its naval vessels, with options from three countries currently under evaluation, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said the systems being considered were priced from about RM700mil to more than RM1bil, adding that Malaysia could not afford to wait for the recovery of funds tied up in the Norwegian procurement before replacing the system.
“The government may have to consider a new allocation to buy a new missile to replace the one from Norway,” he said after attending a groundbreaking ceremony for an orphanage expansion here yesterday.
Mohamed Khaled said several factors would be considered, including cost, delivery time and whether the new system could be integrated with the existing combat management system.
“Missiles are not like buying a car from a showroom. They have to be ordered and it can take three or four years,” he said.
On Malaysia’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Mohamed Khaled said Malaysia was prepared to participate in any new United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission there if requested.
He said Malaysia remained committed to supporting peace efforts in Lebanon but would only participate in a new deployment if it was carried out under a UN mandate.
Mohamed Khaled said Malaysia’s current peacekeeping mission in Lebanon would end following the expiry of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) at the end of this year.
He said Malaysian troops, who have served in Lebanon since 2007, were expected to begin returning home in January, with their assets brought back in stages by sea. The first shipment is scheduled for Jan 17.
He said the Malaysian troops had played a role beyond maintaining security in their area of responsibility, including engaging with local communities, who had developed close ties with the Malaysian contingent.
Mohamed Khaled said his recent meeting with the Lebanese Defence Minister also highlighted that the security situation remained fragile, with the country seeking alternative approaches from the UN to sustain peace efforts.
Addressing developments around Balabac in the southern Philippines, he said Malaysia must bolster defence preparedness as the expanded presence of Philippine and US forces could carry security implications due to the island’s proximity.
He stressed that Malaysia’s preparations were not aimed at confronting the Philippines but at ensuring it was ready should any conflict in the area spill over into Malaysian territory.
“If there is fighting, a clash or anything that happens in that area, the effects could spill over into Malaysia,” he said.
He also said the government wanted a more balanced deployment of Armed Forces personnel between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak.
