Military of Malaysia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Malaysian Armed Forces**
Components

Malaysian Army
Royal Malaysian Navy
Royal Malaysian Air Force
History
Military history of Malaysia
Related Info
Awards & Decorations
Special Forces

Military Manpower
Military Age	18 years of age
Availability	males age 15-49: 5,584,231 (2005 est.)
Fit For Service	males age 15-49: 4,574,854 (2005 est.)
Of Age / Year	males: 244,418 (2005 est.)
Military Expenditure
Dollar figure	$1.69 billion (2000 est.)
% of GDP	2.03% (2000)
Source : CIA World Factbook 2006

Military of Malaysia is known officially as the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF, Malay: Angkatan Tentera Malaysia-ATM). It consists of three branches; the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, Malay: Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia-TLDM), the Malaysian Army (Malay: Tentera Darat Malaysia-TD) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, Malay: Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia-TUDM).

General (Jen) Tan Sri Dato' Sri Abdul Aziz bin Hj Zainal, is the Chief of Defence Force, Malaysia.

1 Role of the MAF
2 History
3 Theater of operations
4 Current developments
5 Additional Information and Links
6 External links

[edit] Role of the MAF

The role of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) is to defend the sovereignty and strategic interests of Malaysia from all forms of threat.

It is responsible to assist the civilian authorities to overcome all internal threats, preserve public order, assist in natural disasters and participate in national development programs.

It is also sustaining and upgrading its capabilities in the international sphere in order to uphold the national foreign policy of being involved under the guidance of the United Nations (UN).

[edit] History

[edit] Army

Main article: Malaysian Army

The first military units in Malaysia can be traced back to The Malay States Volunteer Rifles which existed from 1915-1936. The birth of the Malaysian Army came about when the Federal Council of Federated Malay States eventually passed the Malay Regiment Bill on 23 January 1933. This allowed the initial recruitment of 25 males for the First Experimental Malay Company on March 1, 1933. Major G. McI. S. Bruce of the Lincolnshire Regiment was the first Commanding Officer.

By 1 January 1935, the Experimental Company became The Malay Regiment with a complement of 150 men. A battalion was formed on 1 Jan 1938 and eventually a second battalion on 1 Dec 1941.

The 1st Bn Malay Regiment was famous for its successful defence of Opium Hill or Bukit Chandu in the Battle of Pasir Panjang during the Battle of Singapore. The ‘Battle of Opium Hill’ on 14 February 1942 involved 42 soldiers commanded by Lt. Adnan Bin Saidi who defended their position against attack from the 18th Division of the Japanese Imperial Army under Lt.Gen. Renya Mutaguchi. After World War II and during the Malayan Emergency, the number of battalions was increased to 7 in the early 50s.

The Kor Armor DiRaja (Royal Armoured Corps) can trace its roots to the formation on 1 September 1952 of the Federation Reconnaissance Squadron. It was later merged with the Federation Regiment to form the Federation Reconnaissance Corps. The name underwent a few transformations from the Malaysian Reconnaissance Corps (16 September 19670, Royal Malaysian Reconnaissance Corps (May 1979) to Royal Cavalry Corps (December 1979) and finally to Kor Armor DiRaja(Royal Armoured Corps) on 8 December 1986.

[edit] Navy

Main article: Royal Malaysian Navy

The Royal Malaysian Navy originated from the Straits Settlement Volunteer Reserve Force formed on 27 April 1934 in Singapore. The formation of a Penang branch in 1938 saw its expansion. When the Second World War broke out in 1939, Britain strengthened its Naval Force in Southeast Asia by forming a unit called the "Malay Section of The Royal Navy" to protect the security of Singapore and the Federation of Malaya. This unit which consisted of 400 men underwent training at a training camp called HMMS PELANDOK, a British Naval Base in Singapore. Expansion saw the unit increase to 1450 men during World War II. Due to shortage of funds, the British disbanded the force after World War II in April 1947. The Malayan Naval Forces was again created in 1948 in response to the Emergency with the loan of one landing ship and five fast surface launches from the Royal Navy. In 1953 HM Queen Elizabeth awarded the Royal status to become The Royal Malayan Navy. The first vessel was a minesweeper called HMS 'Penyu' or Turtle. After independence, it was transferred from Singapore on 12 July 1958 as an independent sovereign navy. On 16 September 1963 it was renamed as the Tentera Laut Diraya Malaysia or "Royal Malaysian Navy" in accordance to the formation of Malaysia.

[edit] Air Force

Main article: Royal Malaysian Air Force

It was created in 1936 as Malayan Auxiliary Air Force, disbanded after World War II, reactivated in 1950. The passing of Air Force Ordinance by the Parliament on 2 June 1958 saw the creation of Royal Malayan Air Force. The first adviser was seconded from the Royal Air Force (RAF), Air Commodore A.V.R Johnstsone who became the first Chief of the Royal Malayan Air Force (RMAF). The proud few who formed the RMAF were Flying Officer Lim Heng Lip, Sergeant Subramanian, Corporal Othman Mohd Ismail, Corporal Wan Said, Corporal JD Parsley, Corporal Mahadeven, Senior Aircraftman (SAC) Surindam, SAC Md Noor, SAC Zainal, SAC Mohd Hussain and Junior Technician (JT) Ismail Ariffin. The first aircraft acquired for No 1 Squadron was a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer which served the RMAF for 12 years. It was named 'Lang Rajawali' by Tunku Abdul Rahman the first Prime Minister. With the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the name of the force was changed to Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia or "Royal Malaysian Air Force".

[edit] Theater of operations

The main theaters of operations were within Malaysian borders, primarily to fight an insurgency led by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in what was known as the Emergency. The only foreign incursion of Malaysian territory in modern times were in World War II by Japan (Malaya was then not a unified political entity and consisted of the British Crown Colony of the Straits Settlements, and the British protected Federated Malay States and Unfederated Malay States) and during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation by Indonesia under the leadership of President Sukarno. Operations on foreign soil have mainly been peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations.

First Emergency (1948-1960)

An insurrection and guerrilla war of the Malayan Races Liberation Army organised by the CPM against the British and Malayan administration.
Congo Peacekeeping Mission (1960-1962)

A contingent of 1,947 personnel were dispatched as part of the United Nations Operation in the Congo or ONUC. This contingent was known as the Malayan Special Force to the Congo and their experiences there were later recounted through the drawings of the cartoonist, Rejabhad.
Sarawak Communist Insurgency (1963-1990)

An insurrection and guerilla war of the Sarawak Communist Organisation (from 1971, the North Kalimantan Communist Party or NKCP) against the British and Malaysian governments to establish an independent nation comprising the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. The insurgency ended when the NKCP signed a peace treaty with the Malaysian government in 1990.
Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation (1963-1966)

An intermittent armed conflict between Malaysia and Indonesia with skirmishes mainly occurring in Sarawak and Sabah in the island of Borneo. In 1964, armed raids were made on Peninsular Malaysia. Combat eased with the deposing of Indonesia's President Sukarno in 1965 by the Indonesian army and the conflict was declared over by both sides in 1966.
Communist Insurgency War (1967-1989)

A low level resurgence of insurgent activity by the armed elements of the CPM from sanctuaries in the Malaysian-Thai border. The insurgency was only ended after the CPM signed a peace treaty with the Governments of Malaysia and Thailand on 2 December 1989.
Iran/Iraq Border (1988-1991)

Participated as part of the UN Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) to supervise the Iran-Iraq War ceasefire.
Namibia (1989-1990)

Contributed a battalion to the UN Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) to supervise Namibia's elections and transition to independence.
Western Sahara (1991-present)

A contingent of observers under the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to help implement a ceasefire between the Polisario Front & Morocco and help promote referendum on area's future.
Angola (1991-1995)

A contingent was sent under the United Nations Angola Verification Mission II (UNAVEM II) to enforce the ceasefire in Angolan civil war.
Iraq/Kuwait Border (1992-2003)

A contingent was sent under the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) to monitor the demilitarized zone along the Iraq-Kuwait border, deter border violations and report on any hostile action.

(The rest of the entries below require a cleanup)

Observers in Cambodia as part of UNTAC from 1992-1993
peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina - from 1993 to 1998. A total of 8000 were deployed within the 5 years period, first with MALBATT, then with MALCON. Area of operations under UNPROFOR were at Konjic, Jablanica and Pazaric. MALCON was sent to participate in IFOR at Livno, Glamoc and Kupres. The final participation was with SFOR.
Observers in Liberia as part of UNOMIL 1993-1996
peacekeeping in Somalia as part of UNOSOMII by the 900-strong MALBATT 1, formed primarily from 19 RAMD(Mechanised), also known as 'The Fighting Tigers' in 1993. Commanded by Brigadier-General Datuk Abdul Latif Ahmad, MALBATT saw action in the Battle of Mogadishu where 32 Condor Armoured Personal Carriers (APC) with 113 personnel were sent to rescue 75 American servicemen. In the operation, 18 US soldiers were killed and 70 were wounded. Condor driver Private Mat Aznan Awang was killed by heavy machine gun fire. An RPG ripped apart his APC while eleven others were injured. Four Malaysian Condors were immobilised. Private Mat Aznan Awang was pothmously promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and awarded the medal Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa, the nation's highest gallantry award. In another incident, two Malaysian peacekeepers from Grup Gerak Khas was killed when their convoy approached the K4 roundabout in Mogadishu on their way to negotiate with a Somali warlord. They were killed when the attack on their convoy had intensified and had decided to draw fire away from the convoy. One Malaysian peacekeeper was wounded and captured by Somali militia. He was later released unharmed.
Observers in Mozambique as part of UNUMOZ in 1994
Deployed a contingent called MASMEDTIM/Malaysian Medical Team to Chaman, Pakistan to treat refugees from Afghanistan during the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Deployed approximately a brigade-sized force on islands surrounding Sabah waters in Ops Pasir to prevent the recurrence of Sipadan kidnapping.
Deployed a contingent to Acheh after the tsunami disaster in 2004.
Deployed MASMEDTIM to Pakistan during the 2005 quake.
Deployed in Southern Philippines as a part of monitoring force agreed upon by both the Philippine Government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front/MILF.
Deployed in East Timor/East Leste together with Australian, Portuguese and New Zealand forces at the request of East Timor Government. The first team of 25 soldiers from 10 Para Brigade, Royal Intelligence Corp and Commando Regiment were deployed on a fact-finding mission before being reinforced by another 209 soldiers. (as at 27 May 2006)

Other limited participation under UNPKO are United Nations International Police Force (UNIPTF) since December 1995; United Nations Mission di Kosovo (UNMIK) since Jun 1999; United Nations Observer Mission di Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) since October 1999; United Nations Transitional Administration di East Timur (UNTAET) since September 1999 and United Nations Organisation Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) since February 2000.

18 Malaysian Armed Forces personnel have been killed during UN peacekeeping operations.

[edit] Current developments

In the early 1990s, Malaysia undertook a major program to expand and modernize its armed forces. However, budgetary constraints imposed by the 1997 financial crisis slowed military procurement. The recent economic recovery may lead to relaxation of budgetary constraints on the resumption of major weapons purchases. In October 2000 the Defense Minister announced a review of national defense and security policy to bring it up to date. This review will address new security threats that have emerged in the form of low intensity conflicts, such as the kidnapping of Malaysians and foreigners from resort islands located off the east coast of the state of Sabah.

Current procurements for the air force include 18 Su-30MKM with a possible additional 18, Augusta Westland A109 light helicopters for the army while AEW&C platforms are being evaluated including Brazilian Embraer EMB 145SA for TUDM. The latest purchase was for 8 Aermacchi MB-339CM.

The Malaysian Army is getting 48 Twardy PT-91 main battle tanks from Poland. Last major procurement was the Astros MRLS from Brazil. MA is rapidly mechanizing its current inventory where 211 Adnan IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) has been acquired by the army in 2004. The MA is also looking forward to strengthen its anti-armor capabilities such as the discussion of purchasing South African Rooivalk Attack Helicopter and the recent procurement of the Pakistani Bakhtar-Shikan Anti-armor missile launcher, installed on the Adnans.

The Royal Malaysian Navy placed a contract for 2 Scorpene attack submarines in June 2002, and are expected to enter service in 2009. 6 NGPVs (Next Generation Patrol Vessel) out of a total requirement of 27 are being manufactured by a local naval shipyard in Lumut, Perak. The delivery process was delayed due to installation problems of the control systems on the vessels. The NGPVs are based on Blohm und Voss' Meko 100 design.

In early 2004, the Ministry of Defense initiated a compulsory National Service program for 17 years old Malaysians. Participants of the Malaysian National Service are chosen randomly. Currently, only 20% of those eligible are inducted but plans call for this program to eventually cover all 17 year olds.

In light of the increasing crude oil price worldwide, the military had volunteered in a pioneering programme to use biodiesel. By next year (2007), all diesel-type vehicle in the Malaysian Armed Forces will be using biodiesel consist of 95% diesel and 5% oil palm diesel.

During Defence Services Asia DSA 2006, Malaysia announced that it would buy the US made M4 Carbine service rifle replaced Austrian made Steyr AUG services rifle for all Malaysian Armed Forces services. However, this deal has not been finalized to date. Reports suggest that the US Department of Defense and US Congress are linking approval for the sales to changes they desire made in Malaysia's foreign policy.