Malaysia-Turkiye defence ties should shift from deals to strategy, says academic

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — An academic has urged Malaysia and Turkiye to strengthen defence cooperation by moving beyond procurement and establishing a strategic partnership to jointly develop the local defence and aerospace industry.

Malaysia should elevate ties with Turkiye to a strategic alignment perspective, said Director of Policy and Engagement, Business Development (South-east Asia), Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick, United Kingdom, Dr Kogila Balakrishnan in an interview held in conjunction with the KL-Ankara Dialogue 2026 here on Tuesday.

“The bilateral relationship should be reframed as a strategic partnership anchored in defence policy, foreign policy alignment and a coherent industrial strategy,” she said.

With Malaysia being Turkiye’s seventh-largest defence partner and its oldest in South-east Asia, the strategic partnership should also include joint training programmes and research and development (R&D) to bolster Malaysia’s defence sector, said Kogila, alluding to the need for deepening defence cooperation given the tumultuous security situation due to the West Asia conflict.

“Malaysia’s defence and foreign policy should integrate industrial strategy with Turkiye, emphasising a coherent localisation approach and considering offsets,” she said.

Kogila said Malaysia should adopt a bigger systems approach and progressively move forward based on a blueprint, starting with strategic direction at the government level, followed by structured knowledge exchange between Malaysian and Turkish defence institutions, research bodies and academia.

This includes developing joint training programmes, research and development collaborations and centres of excellence, as well as building expertise in systems integration, programme management and defence technology.

“There should be focus on the commercialisation and industrial engine of the partnership,” said Kogila, emphasising that the approach should not be transactional but guided by a broader systems perspective.

Earlier this year, the government launched the National Defence Industry Policy (NDIP), a long-term strategic plan to reduce Malaysia’s dependence on external parties in matters of security and defence, while building a self-reliant, sustainable and resilient local defence industry.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had said the increasingly complex, fragile and uncertain global security landscape requires Malaysia to strengthen its defence capabilities by developing a strong and competitive domestic industry.

Among the key reforms outlined are the setting of a minimum local content of 30 per cent for each defence procurement, as well as the requirement that all maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities be carried out by local companies, except during the warranty period, which remains under the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“It is timely to announce the NDIP, given the heightened geopolitical uncertainty in the region. But at the same time, there are gaps in the policy, particularly in terms of implementation structure, commitment to defence expenditure, and clarity on capability articulation.

“This is important because capability ultimately translates into procurement-driven initiatives,” said Kogila.

She said that while Malaysia needs to achieve the 30 per cent local content aspiration in stages, its strengths in MRO and semiconductors could be leveraged to position the country as a regional hub for Turkiye’s aircraft in South-east Asia.

Currently, Malaysia’s procurement from Turkiye includes armoured vehicles, drones and naval vessels, with increasing emphasis on surveillance and maritime platforms, alongside potential future expansion into fighter aircraft.

It was reported that South-east Asia’s defence spending rose by 7.5 per cent to US$55 billion in 2025, marking a threefold increase since 2015.

While the region’s arms market remains dominated by the United States, European and increasingly South Korean companies, Turkish defence firms are emerging as key players and are expected to expand their market share. — Bernama