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Malaysia’s relatively small but well equipped military forces face a number of tough challenges at present and in the near future. The country’s armed forces consist of the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and Royal Malaysian Air Force. Numbering around 100,000 active personnel (unlike its neighbor, Singapore, Malaysia has no compulsory military service) the country’s forces have to be prepared to deal with:
- Piracy
- Smuggling
- Kidnapping
- Trespass
- Terrorism
The MOD has a budget of around $4.0 billion which is estimated to be 1.5% of GDP. The Diplomat reported in October 2015 that budget for 2016 would be cut by 2.25% compared with the 2015 budget. While a relatively modest reduction, it can not be good news for military planners faced with the threats listed above.
Malaysia has a hodge-podge of Special Operations Forces, and it seems each service and branch has its own SOF unit. A centralized structure to coordinate efforts, or a reorganization seem to be possible solutions to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
Malaysia has been a member of the Five Power Defense Agreement for 40 years. Other members include Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Recently Malaysia has joined the US coalition against ISIS, and there are reports of Malaysia sending CT experts to aid the Australian Government. Malaysia’s strong suit is counter-messaging; exposing the fabrications and mis-information of radical Islamic organizations such as ISIS to dissuade potential recruits, particularly young people, from joining.
Historically, Malaysia has actively supported United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Malaysian forces have been deployed to the Iran/Iraq border, Namibia, Western Sahara, Angola, Liberia, Somalia and Mozambique. Malaysia has also been involved in counter-insurgency actions in what is called the First Emergency (1948-1960), in the Sarawak Communist Insurgency, and in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation.
The autumn of 2015 saw repeated warnings of possible domestic suicide attacks. At the same time, the actions of Philippine Abu Sayyaf fighters in eastern Sabah in carrying out kidnappings have resulted in travel warnings to tourists by both the UK and Australian governments.
Malaysians live in an increasingly-dangerous neighborhood, and it seems that a combination of both self-sufficiency and international cooperation will allow their armed forces to continue to keep them safe.