Defence Diplomacy Helps Boost Malaysia's Military Capabilities

MELAKA (Malaysia), Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Defence cooperation and diplomacy with developed countries have enabled Malaysia to continue receiving strategic support to strengthen its national defence preparedness and contribute to regional security, Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.

He said Malaysia had benefited from various sponsored military capability development initiatives through such cooperation and diplomatic engagements with friendly countries, including Germany, Japan, the United States and Australia.

He said, for example, the German government had contributed €5 million this year to upgrade the Army Combat Training Centre (PULADA) in Johor.

“These countries have policies aimed at empowering Malaysia not only to defend itself, but also to contribute to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Based on these policies, many countries, particularly developed nations, have programmes to support efforts to enhance Malaysia's capabilities,” he said when commenting on the importance of defence diplomacy in strengthening the country's defence capabilities here Wednesday.

On Malaysia's maritime domain, Mohamed Khaled said Japan had assisted in the form of a counter-drone system, which would be deployed in Sepanggar, Sabah.

He said the assistance was aimed at strengthening maritime domain awareness and enhancing show-of-presence patrols in the country's waters, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“For instance, we told Japan that Malaysia is a maritime nation with a vast maritime area, but still has gaps in its capabilities. Its assistance is therefore aimed at strengthening our maritime capabilities. One example is the counter-drone system that will be deployed in Sepanggar, Sabah.

“It is helping to build our capabilities so that we can contribute to regional stability. That is why defence diplomacy is one of the elements that strengthens the country's position,” he said.

-- BERNAMA