Malaysian Armed Forces

The Malaysian Armed Forces (Abbr.: MAF; Malay: Angkatan Tentera Malaysia; Jawi: اڠكتن تنترا مليسيا‎), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active personnel is 113,000 along with the reserve forces at 51,600.^[1]^[2] The Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong; the King of Malaysia.

Malaysian Armed Forces

1 March 1933 (1933-03-01)

Wisma Pertahanan, Kuala Lumpur

mafhq.mil.my

Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim

Mohamed Khaled Nordin

General Tan Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman

15,919,573, age 18–49 (2023 est.)

13,209,858, age 18–49 (2023 est.)

541,943 (2023 est.)

113,000^[1]^[2]

51,600^[1]^[2]

RM 19.7 billion (US$4.37 billion) (FY2024)^[3]

Military history of Malaysia

Military ranks of Malaysia

First (1948–1960)
An insurrection and guerrilla war with the Malayan National Liberation Army organised by the CPM against the British and Malayan administration.

Emergency

(Part of the Piracy in the Sulu Sea) (1962–present)

Moro attacks on Malaysia

Peacekeeping Mission (1960–1962)
A contingent of 1,947 personnel were dispatched as part of the United Nations Operation in the Congo or ONUC. This contingent was known as the Malayan Special Force to the Congo and their experiences there were later recounted through the drawings of the cartoonist, Rejabhad.

Congo

(1963–1990)
An insurrection and guerrilla war of the Sarawak Communist Organisation (from 1971, the North Kalimantan Communist Party or NKCP) against the British and Malaysian governments to establish an independent nation comprising the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. The insurgency ended when the NKCP signed a peace treaty with the Malaysian government in 1990.

Sarawak Communist Insurgency

(1963–1966)
An intermittent armed conflict between Malaysia and Indonesia with skirmishes mainly occurring in Sarawak and Sabah in the island of Borneo. In 1964, armed raids were made on Peninsular Malaysia. Combat eased with the deposing of Indonesia's President Sukarno in 1965 by the Indonesian army and the conflict was declared over by both sides in 1966.

Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation

A low level resurgence of insurgent activity by the armed elements of the CPM from sanctuaries in the Malaysian-Thai border. The insurgency was only ended after the CPM signed a peace treaty with the Governments of Malaysia and Thailand on 2 December 1989.

Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89)

/Iraq Border (1988–1991)
Participated as part of the UN Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) to supervise the Iran–Iraq War ceasefire.

Iran

(1989–1990)
Contributed a battalion to the UN Transition Assistance Group (UNTAG) to supervise Namibia's elections and transition to independence.

Namibia

(1991–present)
A contingent of observers under the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to help implement a ceasefire between the Polisario Front & Morocco and help promote a referendum on the area's future.

Western Sahara

(1991–1995)
A contingent was sent under the United Nations Angola Verification Mission II (UNAVEM II) to enforce the ceasefire in the Angolan civil war.

Angola

/Kuwait Border (1992–2003)
A contingent was sent under the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) to monitor the demilitarised zone along the Iraq-Kuwait border, deter border violations and report on any hostile action.

Iraq

(1992–1993)
An observer team was sent under the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) to aid in the administration of Cambodia and to organise and run elections.

Cambodia

(1993–1998)
A peacekeeping contingent known as MALBATT Command (Malaysia Battalion) was sent initially under the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) from 1993 to 1995 with deployments at Konjic, Jablanica and Pazarić in Hadžići. Following the Dayton Agreement, forces were redeployed as MALCON Command (Malaysia Contingent) under the NATO led Implementation Force (IFOR) in Operation Joint Endeavor with deployments at Livno, Glamoč and Kupres. MALCON further participated as part of the NATO led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) until 1998. Up to 8,000 troops were eventually deployed in this theatre of operations.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

(1993–1997)
An observer team of 3 officers was sent under the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) to support the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Liberian National Transitional Government to implement peace agreements signed between the warring parties in Liberia.

Liberia

(1993–1994)
A contingent known as MALBATT was sent under the United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) to take appropriate action, including enforcement measures, to establish throughout Somalia a secure environment for humanitarian assistance. During its deployment, MALBATT was involved in the Battle of Mogadishu which saw 1 personnel killed in action and 7 others wounded in action during the relief operations to aid the surrounded troops of the United States' Task Force Ranger. On 18 January 1994, Lieutenant General Abu Samah Bin Abu Bakar was appointed the Commander of UNOSOM II forces. His appointment also saw the United Nations revise the mandate of UNOSOM II to stop using "coercive methods" in the discharge of their duties while retaining "some capability to defend its personnel if circumstances so warrant."^[6]

Somalia

(1993–1995)

Mozambique

A team of observers were sent under the (ONUMOZ).

United Nations Operations in Mozambique

(2013)

Lahad Datu standoff

Deployed in South Lebanon on peace keeping role at present after the withdrawal of Israeli Military forces early 2007 (Invasion of South Lebanon by Israeli Military). Unit also consist of , PASKAL, PASKAU and PARA elements.^[7]

GGK

Deployed a contingent called Malaysian Medical Team (MASMEDTIM) to Chaman, Pakistan to treat refugees from Afghanistan during the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Deployed approximately a brigade-sized force on islands surrounding Sabah waters in Ops Pasir to prevent the recurrence of .

2000 Sipadan kidnappings

Deployed a contingent to Aceh after the disaster in 2004.

tsunami

Deployed MASMEDTIM to Pakistan during the 2005 quake.

Deployed in Southern Philippines as a part of monitoring force agreed upon by both the and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Philippine Government

Deployed in East Timor/East Leste together with Australian, Portuguese and New Zealand forces at the request of East Timor Government. The first team of 25 soldiers from 10 Para Brigade, Royal Intelligence Corp and Commando Regiment were deployed on a fact-finding mission before being reinforced by another 209 soldiers. (as at 27 May 2006)

The main theaters of operations were within Malaysian borders, primarily to fight an insurgency led by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in what was known as the Emergency. The only foreign incursion of Malaysian territory in modern times were in World War II by Japan (Malaya was then not a unified political entity and consisted of the British Crown Colony of the Straits Settlements, and the British protected Federated Malay States and Unfederated Malay States) and during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation by Indonesia under the leadership of President Sukarno. Operations on foreign soil have mainly been peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations.

Other limited participation under UNPKO are United Nations International Police Force (UNIPTF) since December 1995; United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June 1999; United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) since October 1999; United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) since September 1999 and United Nations Organisation Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) since February 2000. 18 Malaysian Armed Forces personnel have been killed during UN peacekeeping operations.

International action[edit]

The Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom is a regional security initiative which has been in place for more than 45 years. It involves joint military exercises held between the five countries.^[27]

Malaysia also actively takes part in international exercises such as CARAT,^[28] RIMPAC^[29] and COPE.^[30] Joint exercises and war games also have been held with Brunei,^[31]Indonesia,^[32]France^[33] and the United States.^[34] Besides that, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam have agreed to host joint security force exercises to secure their maritime borders and tackle issues such as illegal immigration, piracy and smuggling.^[35]^[36]^[37]

Previously, there were fears that extremist militants activities in the Muslim areas of the southern Philippines^[38] and southern Thailand^[39] could spill over into Malaysia. In response, Malaysia began to strengthen its border security.^[38]

Malaysian Armed Forces