Military history of Malaysia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Components | |
|---|---|
| Malaysian Army |  |
| Royal Malaysian Navy |  |
| Royal Malaysian Air Force |  |
| History | |
| Military history of Malaysia | |
| Related information | |
| Awards & decorations | |
| Special forces | |
| Council | |
| National service | |
| 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) |
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Source : CIA World Factbook 2006 |
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Malaysia's armed forces, which encompasses three major branches, originate from the formation of local military forces in the first half of the 20th century, during British colonial rule of Malaya and Singapore prior to Malaya's independence in 1957. The branches have undergone several restructuring, but fundamentally includes the army, navy and air force.
[edit] Malaysian Army
The first military 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 January 23, 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 January 1, 1935, the Experimental Company became The Malay Regiment with a complement of 150 men. A battalion was formed on January 1, 1938 and eventually a second battalion on December 1, 1941,.
The 1st Bn Malay Regiment was famous for its successful defence of Opium Hill (Malay: Bukit Chandu), Singapore, in the Battle of Pasir Panjang during the Battle of Singapore. The Battle of Opium Hill on February 14, 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 1950s.
The Kor Armor DiRaja (Malay; English: Royal Armoured Corps) can trace its roots to the formation on September 1, 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 (September 16, 1970), Royal Malaysian Reconnaissance Corps (May 1979) to Royal Cavalry Corps (December 1979) and finally to Kor Armor DiRaja (Royal Armoured Corps) on December 8, 1986.
[edit] Royal Malaysian Navy
The Royal Malaysian Navy originated from the Straits Settlement Volunteer Reserve Force formed on April 27, 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 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 Malayan Emergency with the loan of one landing ship and five fast surface launches from the Royal Navy. In 1953, HM Queen Elizabeth awarded the Malayan Navy a 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 July 12, 1958 as an independent sovereign navy. On September 16, 1963 it was renamed as the Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (Royal Malaysian Navy) in accordance to the formation of Malaysia.
[edit] Royal Malaysian Air Force
The Royal Malaysian Air Force was founded in 1936 as Malayan Auxiliary Air Force, disbanded after World War II but reactivated in 1950. The passing of the Air Force Ordinance by the Parliament on June 2, 1958 saw the creation of Royal Malayan Air Force (RMAF). The first adviser was seconded from the Royal Air Force (RAF), Air Commodore A.V.R Johnstsone who became the first Chief of the 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 Squadron No 1 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 of Malaya. With the formation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963, the name of the force was changed to Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (Royal Malaysian Air Force).
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