New challenges ahead for Malaysian Armed Forces

FOR 91 years, the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force, have been our nation’s guardian.

Originating from the local military forces formed during British colonial rule, the MAF presently face multifaceted challenges encompassing defence, peacekeeping, disaster response and promoting national unity, all of which are essential for maintaining Malaysia’s stability and security.

With the current geopolitical dynamics in the region and limited strategic assets, MAF and the Defence Ministry must persist in requesting for an appropriate budget while significantly improving their governance and transparency.

The call for the MAF to be involved in natural disaster situations, mainly floods and landslides, is getting louder by the day even though emergency response is not the military’s primary role. This presents a challenge to the MAF as they need to balance their intended role while being ready 24/7 to provide assistance during natural disasters.

The MAF is also involved as the leading agency in National Service 3.0, which will begin in 2025. The proposed 45 days of training will use Wataniah facilities and the military modules will be conducted by MAF trainers.

The impacts of climate change will sooner or later affect the MAF as well. In this aspect, MAF need to ensure that present and future military camps and bases do not damage their surrounding environment.

The MAF also need to research the elimination of military waste that may lead to environmental issues.

Research on strategic assets that are environmentally and climate-change friendly should also begin, and this is an opportunity for the MAF to collaborate with their foreign military fraternities.

Reports have also shown that climate change has affected military equipment, hence the MAF need to be prepared for this scenario too.

Faced with these challenges, senior ranking officers must continue to improve the performance of the young officers and crews. Senior officers should consider putting young officers in charge of emerging technologies for the military service, namely drones and artificial intelligence.

This year has been a challenging one for the Royal Malaysian Navy with the collision of two helicopters in Lumut in April that took the lives of 10 personnel, and the sinking of the KD Pendekar last month. The Navy also lost a diver during the salvage mission of the ill-fated ship.

However, these incidents did not lower the morale of our men and women in white, who lived up to their motto, “Sedia Berkorban” (Ready to Sacrifice).

It has been said that challenges make us stronger, wiser and more resilient; as the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

To all members and veterans of the MAF, Happy 91st anniversary on Sept 16, which is also Malaysia Day.

MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF DEFENCE AND SECURITY