RM21bil defence budget not enough amid rising threats, ageing assets, govt told

 

Defence specialist Lam Choong Wah said the navy is expected to procure a second batch of littoral mission ships, while the air force will likely finalise negotiations with Kuwait for the acquisition of F-18 multirole combat aircraft. (Bernama pic)

PETALINGA JAYA: 

The RM21.2 billion allocation to the defence ministry under the 2025 budget has been described as insufficient by two defence analysts, citing rising regional threats and the armed forces’ ageing assets.

Maritime affairs expert Salawati Mat Basir of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia voiced concern over the allocation amid growing threats to Malaysia’s sovereignty in the South China Sea.

Salawati claimed Putrajaya was not adequately prioritising national security or giving enough attention to the situation in the region.

She also told FMT the RM1.5 billion increase, compared with the RM19.7 billion allocated to defence for this year, was likely due to inflation and rising costs.

I don’t think the government is giving full attention to the seriousness of defending our country. The government says it will approach the South China Sea issue diplomatically, but it is not considering the real situation,

 she said.

At the Asean summit last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the regional bloc and China had agreed to resolve disputes over the South China Sea through diplomacy and negotiations.

According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, at least one Chinese coast guard vessel has entered and operated in Malaysian waters every day between Jan 1 and Sept 27 this year.

In early September, three Chinese naval vessels reportedly encroached into the country’s exclusive economic zone off Sarawak, loitering near an offshore oil rig.

Defence specialist Lam Choong Wah welcomed the slight bump in funding for the defence ministry but said it would be insufficient to support plans to modernise Malaysia’s armed forces.

“The Royal Malaysian Air Force and Royal Malaysian Navy have each developed modernisation plans that require significant funding to achieve their goals.

Given the government’s priority to reduce people’s economic burdens and stimulate growth, the armed forces must accept what has been allocated,

 he said.

In August, the KD Pendekar, one of the navy’s attack craft, sprang a leak after hitting an underwater object, and sank off the coast of Johor. The ship was about 45 years old.

Defence minister Khaled Nordin later said inspections would be carried out on vessels in the navy’s fleet which were above 40 years old to ensure they were in good condition.

One-third of the navy’s fleet of ships is understood to fall within this category.

Last year, the Sultan of Selangor expressed concern over the condition of the navy’s fleet of vessels, calling for ageing assets to be replaced to ensure the country’s waters were constantly protected.

Lam expected the navy to issue a contract for the procurement of a second batch of littoral mission ships, and for the air force to finalise negotiations with Kuwait for the acquisition of second-hand F-18 multirole combat aircraft.

He expressed hope that the defence ministry would rationalise its expenditure by reducing operational costs and increasing development spending.

Ideally, he said, its development budget should make up at least 30% of the total allocation. - FMT