A first for ‘Defence White Paper’

KUALA LUMPUR: It was a first in Malaysian history when the country revealed its “Defence White Paper”, said Malaysian Defence Force chief Jen Affendi Buang.

The White Paper was revealed on Monday, during the Perwira Dialogue 2020, organised by the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security.

The dialogue was held here with the theme “Malaysia’s Inaugural Defence White Paper: Ideas and Implementation”.

Affendi said the paper contained strategic orientation defence plans for the next 10 years.

A highlight of the paper is the country’s affirmation as a maritime nation and the government’s commitment to pursuing the three pillars of the defence strategy, namely concentric deterrence, comprehensive defence, and credible partnerships.

The paper also calls for focus on dealing with non-traditional security issues like terrorism, piracy and maritime security, cyber crime and security, and transnational crimes, and applying modern technology in defence.

Participants from Brunei, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam presented their assessments of the regional situation of their countries’ defence and security systems and their relations with Malaysia.

Deputy director of the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies under the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, Tran Viet Thai was all for increased information sharing, personnel training and patrols, as well as multilateral cooperation.

He stressed on the importance of safeguarding security and ensuring peace. – Bernama