Defence Preparedness in Non-traditional Security and the War of the Future

Lt Cdr (Rtd) Chia Won Chee TLDM

 

Preparing for the future on the part of the Armed Forces will required the forming of a Defence Advisory Council that is directly answerable to the Prime Minister, comprising young and old ex-service men with knowledge of psychological/tactical methods used by other countries in the last 10 years in conflict zones to defeat enemies, terrorists or extremists. The members of the Council must have the ability to envisage future threat that may be used by major powers in the next two decades, especially in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and drone warfare.

The Council’s responsibility will be to turn Malaysian Armed Forces into self-reliant credible forces with the following highlights:

1. A defence weapons institution where its experts and scientists will have capacities ranging from producing intelligence missiles to manufacturing surveillance drones, weapon systems and small arms. This group of scientists will be handpicked for their academic achievements and for their demonstrated interest in weapons engineering, and their willingness to go the extra mile in doing research and acquiring new skills. They should be given full scholarships and be attached to foreign weapons manufacturers. These scientists should be handsomely salaried and enjoy benefits above and beyond those of normal civil servants, in accordance with their achievements.
2. A regiment of cyber and drone warfare warriors. The future of warfare will be about intelligence gathering, and will be marked by high-tech warfare and the use of silent deterrents meant to demoralize, de-stabilize and weaken a country politically and economically, without going through traditional warfare.

 

The above mentioned points chart a road map for coordinating a centralized military vision and balance the comprehensive roles played by the three services. On top of that, the Malaysian Armed Forces’ integrated logistic capability and war-readiness will be improved tremendously through locally manufactured products and local expert maintenance. The outflow of Malaysian currency and reliance on foreign weapon system manufacturers can thus be reduced, making Malaysia a recognized high-tech developed nation, and inspiring young intelligent Malaysians towards better challenges and careers.