DEFENCE WHITE PAPER FOREWORD BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE Alhamdulillah, the greatest gratitude to Allah as due to His benevolence, the Defence White Paper (DWP) has now been issued. Malaysia, located at the centre of Southeast Asia, is a maritime country, flanked by the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean on one side and the Straits of Malacca and Indian Ocean on the other. Malaysia is also a nation with continental roots connected to mainland Southeast Asia and Eurasia by land. This unique location allows Malaysia to assume a crucial role of connecting both the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions for shared prosperity. During these times of uncertainty, it is imperative that we take serious efforts to protect our national interests and defend our sovereignty as well as territorial integrity. Cognisant of this reality, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has produced the DWP with the vision of “Malaysia is a secure, sovereign and prosperous nation.” The DWP details Malaysia’s plan to develop our Armed Forces into a force of the future comprising of five main characteristics which are jointness, interoperability, technology-based, able to operate simultaneously in two theatres and mission-orientated. This defensive-postured force of the future will be integrated, agile and focused, as well as able to respond to all threats that Malaysia may have to face. This initiative will be further enhanced through robust participation of the Government together with the rakyat in ensuring the nation’s security, sovereignty and prosperity. As a neutral and peace-loving nation that seeks to befriend all nations, Malaysia is committed to enhancing credible partnerships through inclusive international diplomatic initiatives. Through defence diplomacy, Malaysia and other countries that share the same aspirations can collaborate and combine our collective strengths and resources to achieve national security as well as regional and global stability. The Government is committed to reforming the defence sector and ensuring stable and sustainable funding so that our defence capabilities, planning and procurement are executed efficiently. God willing, all the plans outlined in the DWP can be successfully implemented with integrity, transparency and good governance. Finally, I would like to record my sincere appreciation to everyone involved in the drafting and successful issuance of this DWP. YB TUAN HAJI MOHAMAD BIN SABU Minister of Defence, Malaysia 02