Training armed forces to face new threats
in Sungai Besi, Deputy Chancellor KUALA LUMPUR: The military must combine a sense of duty and honour, together with multiple intellectual capabilities, to fulfil its roles effectively.
Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said yesterday there was a constant need for educated armed forces at national and regional levels to face the increasing instability and tremendous change in the world.
“The growing complexity and unpredictability of the global security environment makes this preparedness more necessary and challenging than ever before.
“The need for military education, with unique combination of skills and abilities, is also more important than ever.”
He said this in his royal address at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional
Pic by Khairull Azry Bidin Malaysia here yesterday.
He said education would provide greater exposure and contribute to a better grasp of complexities of some of the issues and settings of which the country’s armed forces were exposed to today.
Sultan Nazrin said new technology-related threats required significant efforts to be implemented into cyber defence, adding that the use of information technology by terrorist groups was unprecedented.
“Cyber attacks have the potential to cause devastating impact across critical infrastructure around the world,” he said, adding that other new threats, including environmental degradation, were emerging and intensifying.
“Unfortunately, this region is likely to continue to experience the devastating effects of natural disasters, intensified by climate change.
“Humanitarian disaster relief is a growing activity for military forces everywhere, including in Malaysia.
“Increasing flow of legal and illegal immigrants create further security concerns, including human trafficking.”
Sultan Nazrin said a forward-looking approach, focused on the cultivation of innovation, creativity, leadership, strategic and critical abilities, was needed to best prepare the military.
“I understand that at the university here, a more discursive and problem-solving approach is in use to ensure effective development of analytical abilities.
“This should continue to help foster strategic and critical thinking in relation to the existing and emerging threats we face.”