Sang Kancil and the Eagle: Cultivating Malaysia's Defense Capabilities
Abstract
Malaysia has longstanding ties with China, including subsidized infrastructure projects through Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, a 5G network with Huawei, and renewed a defense Memorandum of Understanding in 2016. But some have argued the Sino-Malaysian defense relationship has evolved slowly and is not as stable as it seems. Malaysia's 2019 Defense White Paper highlights several requirements to develop its armed forces, including an amphibious capability. The fusion of these factors presents an opportunity for the US to counter China's influence and broader ambitions in the South China Sea. USINDOPACOM must strengthen the American-Malaysian defense relationship by establishing a personnel exchange program and targeting billets to cultivate Malaysia's defense capabilities and boost their capacity. This approach has proven successful in countries like Colombia and the United Kingdom and can improve Malaysia's military standing in the region. While military exercises with Malaysia are beneficial, they are limited in time and do not create an enduring instructional environment that is key to producing the required advancements. Furthermore, a personnel exchange program would generate opportunities to augment Malaysia's capacity through recruitment, retention, and initial officer training. Seeds of Chinese distrust exist in Malaysia and building their armed forces will permit them to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity against China's aggressions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 19, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1147713
Entities
People
- Mark A. Nicholson
Organizations
- Naval War College