The Malaysian Armed Forces Keeping Us Safe Associate Professor Dr Adam Leong Kok Wey

It is a common sight today to see Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) personnel from each of the three Services, the Malaysian Army, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), conducting joint patrols and manning roadblocks with the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and other security agencies in enforcing Movement Control Orders (MCO) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic since last year. The MAF is also running Operasi Benteng under the auspices of the National Task Force (NTF) - commanded by the MAF. The NTF is a joint force of 19 government agencies as a whole-of-government approach in managing border security to safeguard the country’s territorial sovereignty, prevent the entry of illegal immigrants, smuggling and other cross-border security risks.  The NTF has successfully prevented numerous attempts by illegal immigrants to enter Malaysia. These illegals may bring different variants of the Covid1-9 virus to Malaysia hampering the government’s efforts to control the pandemic. The NTF has also frequently disrupted smuggling activities during Operasi Benteng.

However, there is a hidden dimension behind Operasi Benteng, which the public may not be privy to. What most Malaysians do not see is the thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen on duty 24 hours a day in protecting our long land borders - often covered by porously thick tropical jungles, large maritime waters – both territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) maritime areas, and our air space, from foreign incursions and illegal movements into Malaysia.  These MAF personnel have continuously pitted their lives against high risks to perform their duties faithfully.  During the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays, there were reports of some Malaysians attempting to return to their hometowns via illegal inter-state travel during the ongoing nation-wide MCO lockdown. It is worthwhile to mention that a large number of MAF personnel have not returned to their families for months while deployed on operational duty.

There is another amazing aspect about these unsung heroes performing their tasks during joint policing duties and Operasi Benteng. We have not heard of any reports on soldiers, sailors and airmen misbehaving while on duty. It is a common sight today to see MAF personnel manning roadblocks carrying their assault rifles but thus far, there have not been any incidences of accidental discharge of their weapons, unruly behaviour, menacingly pointing their weapons or using extreme physical force. This speaks volumes of the high discipline and professionalism the MAF personnel possesses.

These proficiencies did not come overnight. The MAF’s expertise have been forged in the jungles of Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) and the Second Insurgency (1968-1989) in conducting ‘hearts and minds’ operations as part of a wider counter-insurgency (COIN) campaign against communist insurgents.  ‘Hearts and minds’ operations entailed the use of non-kinetic approaches to win over the support of the population such as psychological operations, building roads and bridges in rural areas, and providing basic health care to aborigines living deep inside Malaysia’s tropical jungles. These non-kinetic operations are just as important as using kinetic force to destroy the communist insurgents.

The MAF has also served in more than 30 UN PKOs and observer missions since 1960. UN PKOs are of paradoxical nature in which MAF personnel trained as soldiers to fight and kill, have to perform the job of a peacekeeper to prevent violence by peaceful means. These experiences have been translated into current MAF doctrine and used to build a potent MAF that can operate in a multitude of roles – from combat missions to policing duties as well as social workers! These values inculcated in the MAF are put to good use in recent joint MCO policing operations and Operasi Benteng as demonstrated on a daily basis.

Malaysians are very fortunate to have such a highly credible and experienced MAF defending our country. Without the men and women of the MAF, we will not be sleeping peacefully every night. When you tuck in for your fitful sleep and have your sweetest dreams tonight, remember that there are thousands of MAF personnel out there in the skies, on the seas (and underwater), and in the thick jungles and mangrove swamps, sweating it out and keeping vigilance, so that you can wake up to a safe tomorrow.

Adam Leong Kok Wey is associate professor in strategic studies, and the Deputy Director (Research) in the Centre for Defence and International Security Studies (CDiSS) at the National Defence University of Malaysia. His latest books are Strategy and Special Operations from Eastern and Western Perspectives published by NDUM Press (2021) and  Killing the Enemy! Assassination operations during World War II, published by Bloomsbury (2020).