Malaysian Defense Procurement To Hit A Lull This Year

Unlike other Asian countries such as Singapore, India and Indonesia, Malaysia is moving slow on defense procurement if the country’s military leadership is to be believed.

Malaysia’s navy chief Admiral Aziz Jaafar, in January, said that his country will not undertake any significant procurement programs in 2014.

He cited budgetary restraints and said that the current financial situation precluded any major programmes, including the procurement of additional ships.

Speaking to reporters following his annual New Year address to the RMN at the Ministry of Defence in Kuala Lumpur, he added that should any opportunities to purchase secondhand ships that met the RMN's operational criteria come up, the RMN would ask the government to fund such a purchase.

"We are open to such possibilities, if it arises but it would depend on the financial situation of the government," he said, citing previous failed attempts to purchase the Bruneian Nakhoda Ragam-class OPVs because no funding was available.

Among the deals expected this year is the upgradation of Malaysia’s C-130 fleet. The upgrade for the C-130s would be done in batches–an initial number of four to eight aircraft is currently funded, with Malaysian company Airod to do the work along with an assigned foreign partner selected by the RMAF, according to local reports.

The other deal is a service life extension contract for 15 Sikorsky S-61 Nuri helicopters. The 14 aircraft are to be upgraded with avionics and navigation systems that would bring them up to compliance to international aviation requirements along with a glass cockpit.

Meanwhile, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is creating a marine corps and establishing a new naval base in the South China Sea near waters it disputes with China, according to a press release from Defense Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The defense minister’s statement added that the new naval base will be built in Bintulu on the South China Sea (SCS) for the explicit purpose of protecting nearby waters and oil reserves.

According to IHS Jane’s, however, the base will be located just 60 miles from the James Shoal, an area in the South China Sea claimed by both Malaysia and China.

The report added that establishment of the Marine Corps will be partly used to deal with Sulu militants who have caused unrest in Sabah in eastern Malaysia.