KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Malaysia will continue to strengthen its defence diplomacy, modernise its military fleet and develop homegrown defence capabilities under the National Defence Strategic Plan (PSPN) over the next five years.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the country will still continue upholding neutrality and non-alignment while implementing these measures.
Malaysia, he said, commands a strong “convening power” that allows the country to encourage constructive dialogues between parties with differing views.
This approach allows Malaysia to strengthen its credible deterrence factor and balance contesting influences in the region.
However, Mohamed Khaled stressed that Malaysia needs to develop a resilient defence ecosystem through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society (WoGoS) approach.
As such, the government has the first time ever rebranded the Mindef Strategic Plan to the National Defence Strategic Plan 2026–2030 — elevating defence from being a ministerial agenda to a national agenda.
A comprehensive National Defence Capacity Action Plan has also been introduced as a roadmap for the bold vision.
“This is a paradigm shift to reflect that defence is not merely a Defence Ministry agenda.
“It is a national agenda that involves the whole country because security threats today come in various forms and indiscriminately targets anybody,” Mohamed Khaled said before launching the two documents at Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, here, today.
The two documents were developed to advance aspirations of the Defence White Paper (KPP) — the country’s highest defence policy document — as well as the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) and the MINDEF Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
The National Defence Strategic Plan 2026-2030 outlines seven strategic core, supported by 29 primary strategies and 103 comprehensive and holistic initiatives.
Each strategic core will be led by a chairman and a deputy, who will be appointed from the ministry’s senior civil and armed forces personnel.
Meanwhile, the National Defence Capacity Action Plan was developed based on the Mid-Term Review of the Defence White Paper and aims to bolster the defence fraternity’s preparedness to face ever-evolving security challenges.
The National Defence Capacity Action Plan has three main cores, namely enhancing the effectiveness of the defence forces, cultivate patriotism and nurture talents in science, technology and the defence industry.
The three cores are supported by seven strategies and 18 initiatives to strengthen human capital development in the country’s defence ecosystem.
“If the National Defence Strategic Plan determines our destination, the National Defence Capacity Action Plan will ensure that we have the resources to reach the target.
“The resources include financial capabilities, human capital, leadership, professional competencies, technological expertise, research, innovation and cross-agency coordination in the defence ecosystem,” Mohamed Khaled said.
Developing strategic foresight
Developing a future-ready army also requires Malaysia to possess strategic foresight and anticipate security challenges in advance, Mohamed Khaled said.
Citing the ongoing crisis in West Asia, he said global defence and economy can no longer be seen in silos and any strategic decision must take both dimensions into account simultaneously.
“Firstly, the conflict has shown that energy crisis, supply chains, trade, world economy and global defence are all interconnected.
“Secondly, the conflict teaches us about the importance of developing resilience and resistance as part of our national defence strategy.
“And thirdly, we must therefore strengthen our national research and strategic analysis capabilities,” he explained.
Prioritising welfare and wellbeing
A resilient defence system does not rest solely on the state-of-the-art weaponry and technology in a country’s arsenal. It also extends to the welfare and wellbeing of the wider defence fraternity.
As such, Mohamed Khaled said the government will continue to prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of military personnel, veterans and their families under the National Defence Strategic Plan 2026-2030.
“In terms of housing, we will construct six new Armed Forces Family Housing (RKAT) and carry out maintenance work at the existing 20,000 RKAT units.
“As for healthcare, we will build two new armed forces polyclinic (RSAT) and upgrade existing military hospitals (HAT).
“The ministry has also implemented the MADANI ATM Economy programme and the MADANI ATM Special Sale programme (JIMAT) to ease cost of living burden for military personnels and their families,” he said.
Mohamed Khaled said the government is also implementing several intervention measures to provide military veterans with second career opportunities.
These measures, he said, include implementing Work-Based Learning (WBL) programmes, strengthening the role of the Armed Forces Veterans Affairs Corporation (PERHEBAT), introducing reskilling and upskilling programmes as well as the PROWIRA Ready To Work (RTW) Veteran programme to boost the marketability of veterans.
“All these initiatives will be implemented in phases, in an integrated manner and concurrently over the next five years,” he added.
Date: 25 June, 2026 5:00 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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