DEFENCE WHITE PAPER EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Defence White Paper (DWP) represents the Government’s firm commitment to Malaysia’s defence and resilience to protect national interests, particularly to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. As Malaysia’s inaugural DWP, it details the Government’s stance on national defence, presents its outlook for strategic trends and outlines the National Defence Framework to pursue the vision of Malaysia as a secure, sovereign and prosperous nation. This DWP underscores three key messages: (1) do not take the national security for granted; (2) the Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approaches are central to national defence; and (3) non-alignment and shared security are the basis of Malaysia’s Credible Partnerships. The DWP is developed based on the National Security Policy, Malaysia’s main national security document. The DWP recognises the important roles played by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) in leading the nation’s defence, as well as the participation of other stakeholders and the rakyat, the Malaysian people, in the national defence ecosystem. The DWP is structured into three parts: (1) Vision; (2) Strategy; and (3) Implementation. They cover the ends, ways and means to protect Malaysia’s national interests. The first part, which consists of Introduction (Chapter 1) and Strategic Outlook (Chapter 2), sets the direction of the national defence. The second part covers Defence Strategy (Chapter 3), The Future Force (Chapter 4), People in Defence (Chapter 5) and International Defence Engagement (Chapter 6), and discusses methods and approaches to galvanise the internal and external resources available to Malaysia to pursue the three pillars of the National Defence Strategy. The third part, which comprises of Defence Science, Technology and Industry (Chapter 7) and Transformation, Governance and Funding (Chapter 8), details the Government’s initiatives to ensure the successful implementation of the DWP. Chapter 1 introduces the DWP by answering the questions: What is a Defence White Paper? Why is the Government issuing the DWP? and How will the DWP set forth the direction to pursue the national defence vision. The DWP serves three purposes: (1) engaging the rakyat and stakeholders; (2) evaluating the ever-changing security environment; and (3) exploring approaches to enhance Malaysia’s defence capability and preparedness. Malaysia’s geographical location in the middle of Southeast Asia with the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea on one side, and the Indian Ocean and Straits of Malacca on the other side, positions Malaysia as a maritime nation with continental roots, the bridging linchpin between the two ocean regions. Chapter 2 analyses the increasingly complex security environment at the global and regional levels. This uncertainty has presented both challenges and opportunities to the nation, the region and the international community. Malaysia is not beset by military conflict with other countries. However, the nation still faces three main security challenges, namely: (1) uncertain big power relations; (2) complex Southeast Asian neighbourhood; and (3) increasing non-traditional security threats. Chapter 3 discusses the National Defence Strategy based on the National Defence Framework, divided into three parts: (1) National Defence Vision; (2) National Defence Interests; and (3) National Defence Objectives. The National Defence Vision envisages Malaysia as a secure, sovereign and prosperous nation. This, in turn, defines Malaysia’s defence interests: (1) security; (2) sovereignty; and (3) prosperity. This Framework identifies five National Defence Objectives. This chapter then introduces three Concentric Areas of Interests consisting of (1) Core Area; (2) Extended 04