Malaysian Army

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Tentera Darat Malaysia

Coat of arms of the Malaysian Army

Coat of arms of the Malaysian Army
active 1963 - today
Country MalaysiaMalaysia Malaysia
Armed forces Armed Forces of Malaysia
Armed forces army
Strength 86,000 regular soldiers
motto Gagah Setia (Eng. Strong and loyal )
commander
Commander of the Army (Panglima Tentera Darat) General Zulkifli Zainal Abidin
insignia
War flag Flag of the Malaysian Army.svg

The Malaysian Army (malay .: Tentera Darat Malaysia ) is part of the armed forces of Malaysia . With a staff of 86,000 soldiers, it is by far the largest military force in Malaysia ( air force : 8,000 men, navy : 12,000 men). The army was founded in its current form in 1963 together with the state of Malaysia , but sees itself in a line of tradition with earlier military units, some of which were set up under British colonial rule before the Second World War , and celebrates March 1, 1933 as the founding day .

history

Recruits of the Malay Regiment 1941

Foundation phase

The Malaysian Army sees its historical roots in the First Malay Experimental Company , which was set up on March 1, 1933 under British colonial rule and consisted of Malay recruits and British trainers. The purpose of the company was to be able to reduce the number of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army in Malaya. At the same time, they gave in to the demands of the Malay sultans, who, in view of the imperial aspirations of the Japanese Empire , pushed for the creation of a domestic military unit. The number of personnel in the company was constantly increased in the following years, in 1935 it was upgraded to the Malay Regiment , a short time later, for the first time, Malays were used as officers instead of just as simple men as before. When Japan conquered large parts of Southeast Asia during World War II , the Malay Regiment, which had now grown to 1,400 soldiers, joined forces with British units in the ultimately unsuccessful defense of the Malay Peninsula and Singapore . It was disbanded during the Japanese occupation.

The second military unit that can date its history back to the prewar period is the Rejimen Renjer DiRaja (RRD, German "Royal Ranger Regiment"). Its roots are not on the Malay Peninsula, but in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo in the eastern part of Malaysia. Sarawak was not a British colony prior to World War II, but was the private property of the Brooke family, who ruled it as White Rajas for nearly a hundred years . As early as 1862 they founded the Sarawak Fortmen as part of the local security apparatus , which were renamed Sarawak Rangers in 1872 and were recruited from various local ethnic groups, including numerous members of the Iban known as " headhunters " . In 1932 the unit was dissolved due to a lack of financial resources and only re-established shortly before the Japanese invasion of Borneo in 1941 and in the same year part of the British defense, which was also unsuccessful here. The Sarawak Rangers were also disbanded during the Japanese occupation.

Malayan Emergency

Malay soldiers during the Emergency, 1949.

During World War II, Great Britain supported the Malay Communist Party (KPM) and its armed arm, the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), as this was the only organization in Malaya that still offered military resistance against Japan after the occupation . After the end of the Second World War, this alliance broke up very quickly when the British returned to Malaya as colonial rulers and vehemently rejected the communists' demands for an independent Malaya under socialist government. This rift led to the outbreak of a 12-year communist uprising against the British, the Malayan Emergency , in 1948 . The military part of this conflict was mainly carried out by British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers, but the establishment of a local army was also promoted. The Malay Regiment, which had already been re-established in September 1945 with the surviving veterans of the pre-war unit, was constantly strengthened and by 1953 had reached a strength of seven battalions or around 5000 soldiers. In 1952 the Federation Regiment and the Federation Armored Car Squadron were also established. Unlike the Malay Regiment, which only accepted ethnic Malays , these two units were also open to members of the other ethnic groups. Together they formed the cornerstone of the Malay Army; the Malaya Federation (at that time still a British colony) now had its own de jure army for the first time. In 1957 Malaya gained independence as a federal parliamentary monarchy. The Malayan Emergency lasted until 1960, when the Malay Communist Party suspended armed struggle for the time being and the remaining party cadres withdrew across the northern border to Thailand.

From Sarawak, which at that time was not yet part of the Malaya Federation, but was administered as a separate colony from 1946, numerous Iban , including former members of the pre-war Sarawak Rangers, had been recruited as trackers and jungle guides for work in Malaya since the beginning of the Emergency been. After over 1000 Iban had performed this service over the years, a dedicated combat unit was founded in 1953 and named after the pre-war unit Sarawak Rangers (Malayan Unit) . Until Sarawak joined the Malaya Federation together with Sabah and Singapore in 1963, which took on the current name of Malaysia, the Sarawak Rangers were officially part of the British Army. In recognition of its origins as an Iban unit, the motto of the ranger regiment is still written in the Iban language today , it is Agi idup, agi ngelaban (literally "still alive, still fighting", or more freely: fight to the death) . The coat of arms of the Malaysian army shows the kris dagger (the traditional weapon of the Malays) and a mandau , the traditional weapon of the Iban.

Konfrontasi

Even after independence and the end of the emergency, British troops remained in the country.The protection of Malaya / Malaysia was ensured by the Anglo-Malayan Defense Agreement of 1957, in which Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand undertook to provide military support to Malaya in the event of a conflict. This emergency occurred as early as 1963, because neighboring Indonesia, led by President Sukarno , rejected the formation of Malaysia and sent its military to guerrilla attacks against police and military posts on Malaysian territory. This conflict, known as Konfrontasi , which never escalated into a massive war or seriously endangered the existence of either country, lasted until 1966. The Malaysian army was again more supportive, with British troops bearing the brunt of the fighting. In 1967, a year after the end of the Konfrontasi, Great Britain decided to withdraw all troops it had stationed abroad east of the Suez Canal. As a result, the Anglo-Malayan Defense Agreement expired in 1971 and was replaced by the Five Power Defense Arrangements , which, however, do not guarantee military support, but only close consultation between the signatories (Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore) in the Prepare for a crisis. Therefore, for the first time, the Malaysian military was solely responsible for the security of Malaysia and could no longer rely on Great Britain as a protecting power.

PERISTA phase and reorientation

Until the withdrawal of foreign troops, the Malaysian army tended to focus on asymmetrical warfare and internal security. On the one hand, this was due to the nature of Emergency and Konfrontasi, in which the danger emanated from small guerrilla groups instead of large combat units, and, on the other hand, in the knowledge that the country would have been supported by the allies of the Anglo-Malayan Defense Agreement in the event of an external threat. The resurgence of communist guerrilla activities in the late 1960s also reinforced this orientation. However, the final withdrawal of the British from 1971, combined with the end of the American Vietnam War in 1975 and the subsequent invasion of Cambodia by Vietnam in 1978, fueled fear of a conventional war in the shadow of the Cold War, for which the Malaysian armed forces were completely unprepared at that time. For this reason, in the late 1970s, a massive increase and restructuring of the army began under the name PERISTA (abbreviation for Pembesaran Istimewa Tentera - special enlargement of the armed forces). So it was increased from 33,000 men at the end of the Konfrontasi in 1966 to 80,000 men in 1983 and finally almost 110,000 men at the end of the 1980s. At the same time, efforts were made to expand the army's capabilities to the full spectrum of conventional warfare and the procurement of appropriate weapon systems began. However, economic difficulties from the mid-1980s and the end of the Cold War led to the halt of numerous PERISTA measures.

In the 1990s, securing the sea lanes and territorial waters became Malaysia's main strategic concern, whereas on land there were no longer any immediate threats. For this reason, air forces, and especially the navy, have become significantly more important than the army over the past two decades. The army has been shrunk back to its current personnel strength of almost 86,000 soldiers and now has a lower priority overall than the other branches of the armed forces in its modernization efforts.

Ranks

The ranks of the Malaysian Army correspond to those of the British Army, their names, although adapted to the Malaysian language, are very clearly borrowed from the British models, at the same time the shape of the insignia is based on the British models.

Officer ranks
Epaulette Fil Marsyal.png Jeneral.png Leftenan Jeneral.png Mejar Jeneral.png Brigadier Jeneral.png Kolonel.png Leftenan Kolonel.png Mejar.png Kapten.png Leftenan.png Leftenan Muda.png
Rank Fil Marsyal 1 Jeneral Leftenan Jeneral Mejar Jeneral Brigadier Jeneral Colonel Leftenan Kolonel Mejar Kapten Leftenan Leftenan Muda
British equivalent Field Marshal general Lieutenant General Major General Brigadier Colonel Lieutenant Colonel major Captain Lieutenant Second lieutenant
Approximate equivalent
in the NATO rank code 		OF-10 OF-9 OF-8 OF-7 OF-6 OF-5 OF-4 OF-3 OF-2 OF-1 OF-1
1 ceremonial rank of the Malaysian king .
NCO and crew ranks
Epaulette Pegawai Waran 1.png Pegawai Waran 2.png Staf Sarjan.png Sarjan.png Koperal.png Lans Koperal.png No badge of rank
Rank Pegawai Waran I. Pegawai Waran II Staf Sarjan Zaryan Coperal Lans Koperal Prebet
British equivalent Warrant Officer I. Warrant Officer II Staff sergeant sergeant Corporal Lance Corporal Private
Approximate equivalent
in the NATO rank code 		OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 / OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 / OR-1

organization

According to the Malaysian Constitution, the King is Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the sole holder of the highest rank Field Marshal . In practice, however, this is a purely ceremonial function without any real authority. Malaysia's armed forces in general are part of the civil service and therefore subordinate to the government. Civil control is exercised by the Armed Forces Council (Majlis Angkatan Tentera) , chaired by the Defense Minister (Menteri Pertahanan) .

Army headquarters

At the head of the Malaysian army is the Markas Tentera Darat ( Eng . " Army Headquarters ") under the command of the Panglima Tentera Darat ("Commander of the Army"). Since May 2010 this post has been held by General Zulkifli Zainal Abidin .

The Army Headquarters are subordinate to four divisions , each of which is responsible for the defense of a defined part of the state territory, and on the other hand it commands several regionally independent units that can be deployed throughout the country depending on the situation. Compared to the rest of the army, these units are characterized by special skills or equipment. This includes the Gerak Khas Group , a special forces brigade comprising three battalions , which is trained for tasks such as long-range reconnaissance , sabotage, unconventional warfare and hostage rescue. The Malaysian airborne troops , which are combined in Airborne Brigade 10 (10 Briged Para) , are also subordinate to the Army Headquarters . In addition to three paratrooper battalions , this brigade also includes an artillery battalion with light howitzers, a platoon of light tanks and an anti-aircraft battery. The armored battalion 11 (11 Kor Armor DiRaja) as the only unit equipped with battle tanks and the artillery battalion 51 (51 Rejimen Artileri DiRaja) as the only unit equipped with multiple missile launchers , as well as the artillery battalion 22 (22 Rejimen Artileri DiRaja) as one of only two with 155- Units equipped with mm howitzers are also directly subordinate to Army Headquarters.

Major associations

Each of the army's four divisions (divisies) is responsible for the defense of a dedicated part of the Malaysian national territory. The four divisions are subordinate to the Markas Medan Tentera Darat ( Eng . "Army Field Headquarters"), which in turn reports to the Army Headquarters. The divisions, each around 10,000 to 20,000 men strong, are commanded by the division commander (Panglima Divisyen) , usually a major general , and his general staff (Markas Divisyen) and number between two and four brigades . These are commanded by a brigadier general and as a rule consist essentially of light infantry , artillery and tank units are directly subordinate to the division leadership.

designation Area of ​​responsibility (affected states ) Neighbor states
1st division (1 division) East Malaysia ( Sarawak & Sabah ) Indonesia , Brunei
2nd division (2 divisions) North of the Malay Peninsula ( Kedah , Kelantan , Penang , North Perak , Perlis , Terengganu ) Thailand
3rd division (3 divisions) South of the Malay Peninsula ( Johor , Malacca , Negeri Sembilan , Eastern Pahang ) Singapore
4th division (4 divisions) Center of the Malay Peninsula (federal territories Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya , Selangor , West Pahang , South Perak ) /

1st division (1 division)

Area of ​​responsibility of the 1st division

The 1st Division is responsible for the eastern part of Malaysia, i.e. the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo . These two states make up over 60% of the total land area, which means that the area of ​​responsibility of the 1st division is greater than the areas of responsibility of the other three divisions combined. East Malaysia is much larger in area than the western part, but with 5 million inhabitants compared to the 22 million inhabitants of West Malaysia, it is much more sparsely populated, has less infrastructure and plays a much smaller role economically, socially and politically. In addition, the over 1000 km long green border with Indonesia lies here . Since the end of the Konfrontasi in 1966, both states have tried to mediate a policy of détente, which is why they traditionally station relatively few troops on the divided island of Borneo.

The interior of Sarawak and Sabah, especially the border region with Indonesia, is still difficult to access in some areas. The three brigades of the division - 3, 5 and 9 Briged - therefore consist exclusively of light infantry , the use of heavy forces is only possible to a very limited extent due to the natural conditions. Only one tank battalion equipped with wheeled armor (4 Kor Armor DiRaja) is directly subordinate to the division leadership and is stationed in Kuching , the capital of Sarawak. An artillery battalion (6 Rejimen Artileri DiRaja) is also available.

In total, the 1st Division is subordinate to seven infantry battalions, which in the event of war can be supplemented by four reservist battalions of the Territorial Army.

2nd division (2 divisions)

Area of ​​responsibility of the 2nd division

The 2nd Division is responsible for the north of the Malay Peninsula, this includes the states of Kedah , Kelantan , Penang , Perlis , Terengganu and the north of Perak . This also secures the border area with Thailand, which borders directly on the unrest regions in the south of Thailand. The structure of the 2nd division is similar to the 1st division, but is numerically stronger. It also includes three brigades ( 2, 6 and 8 brigades ), but with a total of ten light infantry battalions, reinforced by eleven reservist battalions. In addition, a wheeled armor battalion (4 Kor Armor DiRaja) , stationed in the south of Kedah, and two artillery battalions ( 3 and 5 Rejimen Artileri DiRaja ) are subordinate to the division leadership .

3rd division (3 divisions)

Area of ​​responsibility of the 3rd division

The area of ​​responsibility of the 3rd Division is the south of the Malay Peninsula with the states of Johor , Malacca , Negeri Sembilan and the east of Pahang . This area borders Singapore to the south . The 3rd Division is the most heavily equipped division of the Army and comprises two light infantry brigades ( 1 and 7 Briged ) with three battalions each, as well as the 4th Mechanized Brigade (4 Briged Mekanis) , the only mechanized infantry in Malaysia, with three battalions . In addition, it has two armored armored battalions and the largest artillery division of all divisions with four battalions. One of the artillery battalions uses heavy 155mm howitzers, while the rest of the artillery in the divisions only has light 105mm howitzers.

4th division (4 divisions)

Area of ​​responsibility of the 4th division

The 4th division is the smallest in the army. It is responsible for the center of the Malay Peninsula, which means the state of Selangor , the south of Perak , the west of Pahang and the two federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya . Thus the area of ​​responsibility of the 4th Division does not border on any neighboring country, but lies in the middle of the Malaysian national territory. The resulting lack of need for border security and surveillance is expressed in the small number of two brigades of light infantry ( 11 and 12 briged ) with a total of four infantry and two reservist battalions and the complete lack of tank and artillery units. The fourth division includes the guard battalion of the Malaysian army, which is counted as an infantry battalion, but mainly exercises protocol services , including the representative guard function in front of important buildings such as the palace of the Malaysian king or the provision of military honors at state receptions.

Lower command level

Each brigade comprises several battalions , which are commanded by a lieutenant colonel , and each comprise around 720 men. The next smaller units within a battalion have different names depending on the type of service, with the infantry and most other types of service they are called company (Kompeni) , with the armored force squadrons (skuadron) and with the artillery they are called battery (bateri) . Such an association is led by a major or a captain . Even below is the platoon ( platoon , from English "platoon") or troop (terup) , led by a lieutenant or first lieutenant . The lowest operational level in the infantry is the group ( Seksyen , from English "section"), which consists of eight soldiers under the command of a corporal or sergeant .

Military branches

The military branches of the Malaysian Army are usually referred to as regiment (rejimen) or corps (kor) according to British military tradition . Likewise, the British tradition was adopted that the army - unlike the navy and air force - does not bear the title "Royal" (Malaysian DiRaja ) as a whole , but this title is awarded to the individual branches of the army .

Combat troops (Pasukan Tempur)

  • Royal Malay Regiment ( Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja , RAMD) - Infantry ; including Paratroopers & Mechanized Infantry
  • Royal Ranger Regiment ( Rejimen Renjer DiRaja , RRD) - Infantry; including Paratroopers & Mechanized Infantry
  • Royal Armored Corps ( Kor Armor DiRaja , KAD)
  • Border Regiment ( Rejimen Sempadan , RS)

Combat Support Forces (Pasukan Bantuan Tempur)

  • Royal Artillery Regiment ( Rejimen Artileri DiRaja , RAD)
  • Royal Telecommunications Regiment ( Rejimen Semboyan DiRaja , RSD)
  • Royal Engineer Regiment ( Rejimen Askar Jurutera DiRaja , RAJD)
  • Royal Military Police Corps ( Kor Polis Tentera DiRaja , KPTD)
  • Royal Maintenance Corps ( Kor Jurutera Letrik dan Jentera DiRaja , KJLJD)
  • Royal Intelligence Corps ( Kor Risk DiRaja , KRD)

Support troops (Pasukan Bantuan Perkhidmatan)

  • Royal Medical Corps ( Kor Kesihatan DiRaja , KKD)
  • Administrative Corps ( Kor Perkhidmatan Am , KPM)
  • Royal Supply Corps ( Kor Perkhidmatan DiRaja , KPD)
  • Royal Munitions Corps ( Kor Ordnans DiRaja , KOD) - ammunition and explosives management
  • Religious Affairs Corps of the Armed Forces - ( Kor Agama Angkatan Tentera , KAGAT) - military chaplaincy

Special Forces (Pasukan Khas)

  • Special Operations Regiment ( Rejimen Gerak Khas , RGK)
  • Army Aviation Squadron ( Pasukan Udara Tentera Darat , PUTD)
  • Rapid Response Forces ( Pasukan Aturgerak Cepat , PAC) - Provided by the infantry battalions of the RAMD and RRD

equipment

Steyr AUG A1, the orderly rifle of the Malaysian armed forces.

In principle, Malaysia is not subject to any political constraints in the procurement of its military equipment and uses weapons systems from numerous countries around the world. With regard to the procurement procedures, corruption and nepotism were repeatedly denounced. The Swiss knife manufacturer Victorinox , which supplied the army with 33,000 of its pocket knives in 2007, commented on the opaque procurement policy. Accordingly, new acquisitions are always processed through former officers who use their contacts in the armed forces to earn money as middlemen in the business. In addition to higher costs, tactical or technological aspects play a less important role than good contacts with decision-makers. It is noticeable that the Malaysian army is again and again the world's first buyer of a weapon system, and so falls back on technology that has not been tried and tested in practice.

Infantry equipment

Malaysian soldier with anti-tank weapon M2 Carl Gustaf.

The orderly rifle of the Malaysian armed forces has been the Austrian Steyr AUG A1 since the late 1980s , which was also produced locally under license from 1991. However, it has already been partially replaced by the American Colt M4A1 , which was selected as the new orderly rifle in 2006 and a total of 130,000 weapons are to be introduced into the Malaysian armed forces by 2018. Malaysia is thus returning to an already known system, as the predecessor of the Steyr AUG was the Colt M16A1 , which is still in service with reservist units.

The light machine gun FN Minimi in caliber 5.56 × 45 mm and the machine gun FN MAG in 7.62 × 51 mm come from Belgium . In addition, older holdings of the German HK 11 are also used. The American 40 mm underflow grenade launcher M203 and the semi-automatic multiple grenade launcher Milkor MGL are also used.

Several weapons are available to the infantry to combat armored vehicles, including the M2 Carl Gustaf from Sweden , the Russian RPG-7 and the C-90CR from Spain. Specialized infantry tank destruction troops use the Soviet anti-tank guided missile Metis M , which is fired from a vehicle mount . The paratrooper brigade also uses the French Eryx .

Mortars in calibers 60 mm and 81 mm are used as support weapons.

uniform

Palace guard in parade uniform.
Lieutenant Colonel of the armored force in field suit.

The field suit (baju celoreng) of the Malaysian armed forces is kept in a camouflage pattern, which is dominated by black horizontal stripes in the style of the fur drawing of a tiger, which run over a pattern of irregularly arranged green, brown and light beige spots. This pattern is called Harimau Belang (Eng. "Tiger Stripes") and is used worldwide only by Malaysia. A desert version of the Harimau Belang was introduced for the soldiers who are taking part in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon , in which the stripes are kept in a shade of brown and the underlying pattern in different colors of sand.

The soldiers of the Guard Battalion (1 Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja) , who guard the Istana Negara , the palace of the Malaysian king in Kuala Lumpur , wear a special parade uniform based on the Baju Melayu , the traditional clothing of the Malays. It essentially consists of a white suit with ranks and awards, a wrap skirt around the waist called samping and the songkok , the classic Malay headgear. This uniform is complemented by a chrome-plated M16A1 assault rifle.

Armored vehicles

Main battle tank PT-91M Pendekar from Poland.
Radpanzer Condor from Germany.

The army has 48 main battle tanks of the type PT-91 M Pendekar of the Polish armaments manufacturer Bumar Łabędy , which were ordered in 2002 and delivered from 2005 to 2009. Before that, Malaysia did not have main battle tanks.

The remaining four tank battalions are equipped with wheeled armored vehicles that were procured in the early 1980s. There are a total of 186 amphibious 6 × 6 wheeled armored vehicles of the SIBMAS type from Belgium and around 450 amphibious 4 × 4 wheeled armored vehicles of the Condor type from Germany. These vehicles are used in a network. 162 of the SIBMAS are equipped with an on-board cannon with a caliber of 90 mm (the rest are armored recovery vehicles ), the Condor as personnel transporters are equipped with a 20-mm automatic cannon or a 7.62-mm twin machine gun, but also in the variants of medical tanks, armored recovery vehicles and command vehicles available.

Also in the 1980s, 26 Scorpion 90 light tanks and 25 Stormer armored personnel carriers were procured from Great Britain . The vehicles serve, among other things, as an armored element in the 10th Airborne Brigade. The 90 mm cannon of the Scorpion 90 is identical to that of the SIBMAS, the armament of the Stormer corresponds to that of the Condor variants.

Since the beginning of the millennium, the army has had a brigade of mechanized infantry , the 4th Mechanized Brigade (4 Briged Mekanis) . The company owns a total of 211 ACV-300 Adnan tracked vehicles from Turkey that were ordered in 2000 and are used, among other things, as armored personnel carriers, 81-mm anti-tank mortars and anti-tank missiles. In 2008 a further 48 ACV-300 and 8 ACV-S (an extended version) were ordered. The latter serve as the basis of a 120 mm anti-tank mortar.

In 1993 Malaysia urgently procured 111 transport tanks of the type K-200 KIFV from South Korea, locally called MIFV (Malaysian Infantry Fighting Vehicle) . The reason was the urgent need for the UNPROFOR mission in the Balkans. In addition to the crew transport variant, anti-tank mortars and recovery vehicles were also procured. After the end of the mission, these vehicles went into regular service and can now also be found in the 4th Mechanized Brigade.

In April 2010, Malaysia signed a contract for the delivery of 257 Turkish 8 × 8 wheeled armored vehicles of the Pars type , which will be manufactured locally under license under the name AV-8 by 2016. The Pars / AV-8 is intended to replace the aging SIBMAS and Condor.

Some older types such as the Ferret armored reconnaissance vehicle or the American V-150 wheeled armored vehicle have already been decommissioned.

artillery

The main weapon system of the artillery is the compact 105 mm howitzer Model 56 from Italy, from which the army procured over 150 pieces of artillery in the early 1960s. The howitzer is used by the divisions' artillery battalions. The 155 mm howitzers FH 70 from Great Britain and G5 Mk 3 from South Africa, of which Malaysia has 12 and 28 guns respectively, are far rarer . The FH 70 were procured in the early 1980s, the G5 Mk 3 in 2004.

The army owns 18 vehicles of the Brazilian multiple rocket launcher system ASTROS II . They were ordered in 2000 and shipped in 2002. The ASTROS II are used in three batteries of six vehicles each with the 51st Artillery Battalion (51 Rejimen Artileri DiRaja) . 4 × 4 wheeled armored vehicles of the type AV-VBL are used as command and observation vehicles. The formation of another ASTROS II battalion is being considered.

The Swedish artillery reconnaissance radar ARTHUR , mounted on tracked vehicles of the Bandvagn 206 type , is also used.

Air defense

Starburst MANPADS.

The army only has air defense systems for close range (SHORAD - Short Range Air Defense ). Extensive airspace security is the task of the air force.

Of the Jernas radar-based anti-aircraft missile system , a modernized version of the British Rapier , delivered in 2006 , Malaysia has three systems. Each consists of an all-round search radar, a follow-up radar and two launchers, each with eight missiles and the optical aiming device, and fires guided missiles with a maximum speed of Mach 2.5 and a range of 8 km. All components are mounted on conventional car trailers. These are supplemented by 12 copies of the Swiss Skyguard anti-aircraft gun system with radar-guided 35 mm twin guns GDF-003 . There are also around 30 older, manually operated 40 mm Bofors guns .

In 2005 two copies of the air surveillance radar TRML-3D with a range of 200 km were procured, which were delivered by 2008.

In addition to these stationary air defense systems, the Army also has several shoulder-supported MANPADS systems, namely the British Starburst , the Russian 9K38 Igla , the Pakistani Anza Mk II and the Chinese FN-6 . Starburst and Igla are partly permanently installed on vehicle mounts.

Aircraft

Since most of the air transport tasks are in the hands of the air forces, the very small army aviation force only has 11 Italian Agusta A109 LOHs for light transport tasks and reconnaissance missions. They are equipped with weapon pylons for unguided rockets or machine guns. The French SA-319 Alouette III , some of which were handed over to the Army by the Air Force, is used as a training helicopter.

In March 2015 the takeover of up to 12 Sikorsky S-61 "Nuri" from the Air Force, which are operated by the 881st Squadron in Kluang / Johor , began.

Cooperation with foreign armed forces

US Marines during a Jungle Survival Course as part of CARAT 2009.
Malaysian guards with British foot guards in London

The Malaysian Army has been participating with the Navy since 1995 in the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maneuver held by the US Navy and the US Marine Corps , training successively with various Southeast Asian armed forces.

Joint exercises are held regularly with the Southeast Asian neighbors, such as the annual ASEAN Armies Rifles Meet (AARM), where soldiers from all ASEAN member states hold shooting competitions in various disciplines. The special forces association Grup Gerak Khas (GGK) repeatedly exercised with the special forces of neighboring countries; in March and April 2010, for example, the binational exercise Malindo Latgabma Darsasa 2010 took place, during which the GGK carried out hostage rescue exercises together with the Indonesian army special unit Kopassus .

In May 2008, the Malaysian Army's ceremonial guard battalion, 1 Rejimen Askar Melayu DiRaja , became the fourth foreign unit overall and the first fully Muslim unit ever to be given the opportunity to perform the ceremonial guard function at the royal residences in London together with the soldiers of the British Queen's Guard , such as Buckingham Palace .

With the Butterworth Base, Australia is the only foreign state to maintain a permanent military presence in Malaysia. An infantry unit of the Australian Army is permanently present in Butterworth, and joint exercises are held regularly with these troops.

Participation in international operations

Malaysian Army soldiers participated in several international operations. From October 1960 to April 1963, over 1,000 soldiers from Malaya took part in the UNOC mission in the African Congo .

In the 1990s, Malaysia took part in the UNOSOM II mission in Somalia with around 1,000 soldiers . During the Battle of Mogadishu on October 3 and 4, 1993, the Malaysian contingent supported the rescue of trapped US troops by deploying its Condor armored vehicles. During the fighting, two of these vehicles were destroyed by fire from anti-tank weapons, and a Malaysian soldier was killed in the process. Later, the Malaysian Lieutenant General Aboo Samah was Force Commander from January 1994 to March 1995, the military supreme command of the mission.

Malaysia also took part in the UNPROFOR , IFOR and SFOR missions in the former Yugoslavia with at times 1,500 soldiers .

From May to August 2006, Malaysian soldiers were part of Operation Astute , an Australian-led international task force that moved to East Timor after serious unrest broke out there. When this rapid reaction force was replaced by the UNMIT mission covered by the United Nations in August 2006 , the Malaysian soldiers were replaced by the Malaysian police .

Malaysian soldiers have been participating in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon since July 2009 . Since the beginning of 2011, the Malaysian contingent has comprised around 1,000 Malaysian and 100 soldiers from the Brunei armed forces .

Recruiting culture

As in the rest of the Malaysian armed forces, there is also a strong ethnic imbalance in the army. The Malays make up about 50% of the total population of Malaysia, but make up almost 90% of the soldiers. Ethnic Chinese and Indians , who are mostly descendants of 19th century immigrants, make up 23% and 7% of the total population, respectively, but each make up less than 1% of all soldiers. The remaining 8% of the soldiers are recruited from a large number of the smaller Malaysian ethnic groups. There is widespread public discussion of this discrepancy in Malaysia, with Malaysia's incumbent Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi coming under strong pressure in November 2010 after he said that the low proportion of Chinese and Indian people could possibly be reconciled with a lack of patriotism between these two ethnic groups to explain. These statements were immediately rejected by those concerned. The explanation for the low proportion was cited as a systematic preference for the Malays, due to which many qualified Chinese and Indian volunteers were already rejected when applying. The few Chinese and Indians who actually made it into the armed forces would also be subjected to severe bullying by their Malay comrades. As a result of this debate, the Malaysian government vowed to endeavor to increase the number of Chinese and Indian soldiers. The tensions between the Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnic groups also play a major role outside the armed forces, as the former are legally entitled to many socio-economic advantages, which the Chinese and Indians often see as restricted in their personal development opportunities. One example of this is the New Economic Policy, which came into force in 1971 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Lim Kai Tong (1999): The Malay Regiment - "Ta'at Dan Setia": 1933–1945 .
  2. ↑ a b Kevin Blackburn: The commemoration and memory of the Malay Regiment in modern Malaysia and Singapore . In: Karl Hack / Tobias Rettig (eds.): Colonial armies in Southeast Asia , Routledge: Oxon, New York 2006, ISBN 0-415-33413-6 , pp. 302–326.
  3. ↑ a b Rizal Abdullah: The beginnings of the Rangers . In: New Straits Times , April 13, 2006.
  4. ↑ a b c d K.S. Nathan, Geetha Govindasamy: Malaysia: A congruence of interests . In: Muthiah Alagappa (Ed.): Coercion and governance: the declining political role of the military in Asia . Stanford University Press: Stanford, ISBN 0-8047-4226-X , pp. 259-275.
  5. ^ A b c Harold Crouch: Time to consolidate on a new front line . In: Far Eastern Economic Review , Vol. 122, No. 44, October 20, 1983.
  6. ↑ a b c d Russ Swinerton: Malaysia's security environment and strategic responses. In: Colin Barlow / Francis Loh Kok Wah: Malaysian economics and politics in the new century , Edgar Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham 2003, ISBN 1-84064-599-7 , pp. 75-92.
  7. ↑ a b c d e Prasun K. Sengupta: The Malaysian Armed Forces . In: Tempur , edition 09/2002.
  8. ↑ a b Pengenalan ATM (Powerpoint presentation ; 7.1 MB). Universiti Sains Malaysia website , accessed March 2, 2011.
  9. ^ K. Das: Armored army: Despite corruption claims an order for fighting vehicles goes ahead . In: Far Eastern Economic Review , Vol. 114, No. 50, December 14, 1981.
  10. ^ The standard soldier knife of the Malaysian Army . The Official Victorinox Blog, September 20, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  11. ↑ Bernama (April 27, 2006): Malaysia Replaces Steyr Assault Rifle With Colt M4 Carbine .
  12. ↑ Adrian David RM700m deal for new firearms ( Memento of the original from 1 May 2011 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: New Straits Times (March 28, 2011). Retrieved March 31, 2011.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nst.com.my
  13. ↑ Bernama : Army chief inducted into US varsity's hall of fame ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: New Straits Times (May 2, 2011). Retrieved May 6, 2011.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nst.com.my
  14. ↑ MEMUSNAHKAN KERETA KEBAL - Persediaan Tentera Darat Malaysia  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Tempur website. Retrieved May 17, 2010@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / officialsite.my  
  15. ↑ Jane's International Defense Review (February 4, 2009): Bumar-Labedy completes Malaysian MBT deliveries .
  16. ↑ BAE Systems, Global Combat Systems Stormer combat vehicle (United Kingdom), Armored personnel carriers (tracked) (November 18, 2010). Jane's Information Group website . Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  17. ^ M-Pol M113 track pads (Malaysia), Tracks (August 5, 2010). Jane's Information Group website . Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  18. ↑ Malaysia Acquires 257 Turkish Designed 8x8 Pars APCs ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Defense-Update.com (April 21, 2010). Retrieved April 23, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.defense-update.com
  19. ↑ HOWITZER UPGRADE OFFERED BY RDM (April 30, 1994). Jane's Information Group website . Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  20. ↑ a b Christopher F. Foss : Malaysia to buy more 155m systems in major modernization programs . In: Jane's Defense Weekly , May 26, 2004.
  21. ↑ Jane's International Defense Review (May 2006): Malaysia takes delivery of all-weather, networked Jernas systems from MBDA , p. 18.
  22. ↑ Olivia W. Ingraham / David Saw: Procurement returns to Malaysia . In: Armada International , August 1, 2002.
  23. ↑ EADS.net (December 10, 2005): EADS to supply TRML-3D to the Malaysian Minister of Defense  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / classic.eads.net   , accessed May 24, 2010
  24. ↑ Chuah Bee Kim: ASEAN should cooperate to beef up defense . In: New Straits Times , May 15, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  25. ↑ a b c Chandran Jeshurun: Malaysia: fifty years of diplomacy, 1957-2007 . The Other Press, Petaling Jaya 2007. ISBN 983-9541-58-7
  26. ↑ Facts and Figures . United Nations Operation in Somalia II website. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  27. ↑ Ahmad Fairuz Othman: Leave no one behind . In: New Straits Times , June 26, 2005.
  28. ↑ Chia Chan Sing (1997): For the Record . In: Joint Forces Quarterly , Issue 17 (Autumn / Winter 1997/98).
  29. ↑ Bernama: Malaysia Sends 209 Soldiers To Help Source Unrest In Timor Leste ( Memento of the original from February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Bernama website , May 26, 2006. Accessed March 31, 2011 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bernama.com.my
  30. ↑ BRIG Slater farewelled the Malaysian Armed Forces troops . Australian Department of Defense website, September 4, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  31. ↑ Bernama: Malbatt 1 disbands after Unifil tour of duty . In: The Borneo Post , May 8, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  32. ↑ Malaysian peacekeepers to patrol larger areas in 2011 ( Memento of the original from September 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: New Straits Time , September 13, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2011.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nst.com.my
  33. ↑ Husna Yusop: Non-Malays patriotism not strong enough . In: The Sun , November 9, 2010.
  34. ↑ Bernama : Ahmad Zahid denies questioning loyalty, integrity of non-Malays . In: The Sun , November 11, 2010.
  35. ↑ Tang Eng Bee: Poor recruitment effort . In: The Star , November 12, 2010.

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