Malaysian Army
Malaysian Army | |
---|---|
Tentera Darat Malaysia تنترا دارت مليسيا | |
Founded | 1 March 1933 |
Country | Malaysia |
Type | Army |
Role | Land warfare |
Size | 80‚000 active personnel[1][2] 50,000 reserve personnel Lieutenant General Datuk Mohd Sofi Md Lepi |
Regimental Sergeant Major | Warrant Officer 1 Mohd Pauzi Mohd Ali |
Insignia | |
Flag |
The Malaysian Army (
History
The first military units in Malaysia can be traced back to the
The
Profile
Flag
The flag of the Malaysian Army, introduced since the inception of the Malaysian Army and still in use today, combines elements of the Malaysian Flag and the crest of the Malaysian Army. It serves as a symbol of pride and courage for the Malaysian Army.
This flag measures 187 centimetres (74 in) in height and 91.5 centimetres (36.0 in) in width. It is flown from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm daily, following specific protocols and honors.
Symbolism
- Crown: Represents the loyalty of the Malaysian Army to His Majesty the Yang Dipertuan Agongand the Malay Rulers.
- Crescent Moon and Star: Symbolize the commitment of Malaysian Army members to Islam, the official religion of the State.
- The words "Allah" and "Muhammad" symbolize God Almighty and the Messenger of Allah.
- Diamonds: Represent the wealth enjoyed by Malaysians.
- 16 rice flower garlands: Depict the 16 corps within the Malaysian Army.
- Keris Bersilang Duku Ilang: Symbolises bravery and the unwavering commitment to fight to the last drop of blood.
Organisation and structure
Tactical structure
The Malaysian Army currently has 18 Corps and Regiments. These are grouped into 3 main components — the Combat Element, the Combat Support Element and the Support Elements.
The Corps and Regiments are currently organised into five divisions. Three of which (the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Divisions) are based on the Malay Peninsula and placed under Western Field Army Headquarters, while the other two (the 1st Division and 5th Division) are based on Malaysian Borneo and placed under Eastern Field Army Headquarters.
The
The Western Field Army Headquarters, Eastern Field Army Headquarters and two support commands (Army Training and Doctrine Headquarters, and Army Logistics Administration Headquarters) are placed under Army Headquarters (Army Command).
Chief of army
The current Chief of Army (Malay: Panglima Tentera Darat — PTD) is General Datuk Muhammad Hafizuddeain bin Jantan, who succeeded General Tan Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman on September 6, 2023, who was also appointed as the new Chief of Defence Forces (Malaysia) on the same day.[5]
Rank structure
The Malaysian Army uses a rank structure inherited from the
Officers
Rank group | Commander-in-Chief | General officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadets | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pemerintah tertinggi | Pegawai tinggi | Pegawai kanan | Pegawai muda | Pegawai kadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Malaysian Army[7] |
No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fil marsyal | Jeneral | Leftenan jeneral | Mejar jeneral | Brigedier jeneral | Kolonel | Leftenan kolonel | Mejar | Kapten | Leftenan | Leftenan muda | Pegawai kadet |
Other ranks
Rank group | Warrant officers | Non-commissioned officers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pegawai waran | Pegawai tanpa tauliah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Malaysian Army[8] |
No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pegawai waran I | Pegawai waran II | Staf sarjan | Sarjan | Koperal | Lans koperal | Prebet | Rekrut |
Corps and regiments
- Rejimen Askar Melayu Diraja ('Royal Malay Regiment')
- Rejimen Renjer Diraja ('Royal Ranger Regiment')
- Rejimen Sempadan ('Border Regiment')
- Kor Armor Diraja('Royal Armoured Corps')
- Rejimen Artileri Diraja('Royal Artillery Regiment')
- Rejimen Semboyan Diraja('Royal Signals Regiment')
- Kor Perkhidmatan Am ('General Services Corps')
- Kor Polis Tentera Diraja('Royal Military Police Corps')
- Kor Kesihatan Diraja ('Royal Medical Corps')
- Kor Risik Diraja('Royal Intelligence Corps')
- Kor Perkhidmatan Diraja ('Royal Logistics Corps')
- Kor Ordnans Diraja ('Royal Ordnance Corps')
- Rejimen Askar Jurutera Diraja('Royal Engineer Regiment')
- Kor Jurutera Letrik dan Jentera Diraja('Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Corps')
- Kor Agama Angkatan Tentera ('Religious Corps of the Armed Forces of Malaysia')
- Rejimen Askar Wataniah ('Territorial Army Regiment')
- Grup Gerak Khas ('Special Service Group')
- Pasukan Udara Tentera Darat('Army Air Corps')
Combat elements
- Rejimen Askar Melayu Diraja
The
The 19th Bn Royal Malay Regiment (Mech) was involved in the rescue of U.S.
- Rejimen Renjer Diraja
The
- Rejimen Sempadan
The Rejimen Sempadan ('Border Regiment') is a newly created regiment from the 300 series Territorial Army units in charge of the border. The Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Najib Razak, announced on 1 July 2006 the formation of a new regiment specifically for border patrol. Members of the regiment will be taken from various regiments and corps, most notably from the Rejimen Askar Wataniah. It is believed that the army will form about 2 to 3 brigades of this new regiment.[9] The new regiment was officially raised on 9 February 2008 by Najib Razak at Tanah Merah, Kelantan.[10]
- Kor Armor Diraja
The
Combat support elements
- Rejimen Artileri Diraja
The
- Rejimen Semboyan Diraja
The
- Kor Polis Tentera Diraja
The
- Rejimen Askar Jurutera Diraja
The
- Kor Jurutera Letrik dan Jentera Diraja
The
- Kor Risik Diraja
The
Services support elements
- Kor Ordnans Diraja
The
- Kor Agama Angkatan Tentera
The
- Kor Perkhidmatan Diraja
The Kor Perkhidmatan Diraja ('Royal Logistics Corps') is in charge of transporting troops and supplies to the various units of the Malaysian Army.
- Kor Kesihatan Diraja
The Kor Kesihatan Diraja ('Royal Medical Corps') provides training for Army medics and other specialists. It runs the Armed Forces hospitals and provides the battlefield mobile hospitals. The unit has also provided relief MALMEDTIMs (Malaysian Medical Teams) to Pakistan, Afghanistan,[12] Western Sahara, Indonesia and Palestine.
- Kor Perkhidmatan Am
The Kor Perkhidmatan Am ('General Services Corps') handles administration and financial management for the entire army.
Elite forces
- 21 Grup Gerak Khas
The
- 10th Parachute Brigade
The 10th Parachute Brigade (10 Para Bde; Malay: 10 Briged Payung Terjun — 10 Bgd Para) is an elite airborne unit tasked with being rapidly deployed inside or outside the boundaries of Malaysia. 10 Para is the key element of the Malaysian Rapid Deployment Force (Malay: Pasukan Aturgerak Cepat — PAC) and it is Malaysia primary main offensive force in time of war or emergencies.
Army air corps
- Pasukan Udara Tentera Darat
The
Reserves unit
- Rejimen Askar Wataniah
The
Rapid reaction infantry battalion
- Batalion Siap Sedia Tentera Darat
The Batalion Siap Sedia Tentera Darat (BSSTD; 'Army Rapid Battalion — ARB') is a
Strength
The personnel strength of the Malaysian Army is approximately 80,000 personnel in the Active Army,[1][2][19] 50,000 in the Active Reserve[1][19] and 26,600 active and 244,700 reservists[19] in the paramilitary.
The Malaysian Army consists of 5 infantry divisions, 11 infantry brigades, 1 mechanised brigade, 3 border brigades, 1 special forces brigade and 1 airborne brigade[19] composed of:
- 30 Light Infantry Battalions[19]
- 4 Airborne Infantry (Paratrooper) Battalions[19]
- 4 Mechanised InfantryBattalions
- 5 Armoured Battalions (1 Tank Regiment)[19]
- 1 light tank squadron[19]
- 14 Artillery Regiments (4 Air Defence)
- 3 Special Forces Regiments[19]
- 3 field engineer regiments[19]
- 1 construction engineer regiment[19]
- 1 airborne infantry squadron[19]
- 4 military police regiments[19]
- 1 signals regiment[19]
- 1 intelligence unit[19]
- 3 helicopter squadrons
The territorial army includes:
- 16 light infantry regiments[20]
- 4 specialist engineer regiments
Equipment
Present development
Since the recovery from the 1997 economic crisis, Malaysian Army along with other branches of the Malaysian Armed Forces has regained momentum in its modernising programs.
Firearms
Currently, the American-made M4 carbine is standard issue for all army units while the Steyr AUG is only in limited use by certain units and the former standard issue M16A1 rifle is only use for ceremonial purposes and by Rejimen Askar Wataniah. Both the M4 carbine and the Steyr AUG are locally produced by SME Ordnance although the Steyr AUG rifle is no longer in production. In conjunction of LIMA 2023, United Arab Emirates EDGE Group had signed an agreement with Malaysian company Ketech Asia Sdn Bhd for the production of CARACAL firearms locally through the transfer of technology.[21]
Tanks
The first major procurement was to set a milestone by building its first ever main battle tank regiment. Malaysian Army received delivery of 48 units
Armoured combat vehicles
Malaysian Army is also rapidly mechanising its current inventory - 267 units locally manufactured
Artillery
Despite adding some 28 units of South African
Air defense
There is also a requirement for an upgrade to the current air defense network. However, a dispute between the army and the air force on whether to introduce a mid-range surface-to-air missile system had led to the procurement being put on hold. According to a recent interview of the army's chief of staff, Ismail bin Haji Jamaluddin, the army has no intention of taking over the mid-range air defence role. Malaysian defence company, Weststar Defence Industries and its subsidiary Global Komited, has partnered with British air defence company, Thales for the distribution of Starstreak surface-to-air missile to the Malaysian Army.
Aircraft
Malaysian Army is now shifting its emphasis on enhancing its air wing. In September 2006, Malaysian Army received its 11th and last
Future soldier system and network centric operation system
The Malaysian Army currently has a soldier modernisation programme called the Future Soldier System (FSS). Under the FSS, The Malaysian Army plans to equip all soldiers with Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) such as
The FSS in conjunction with the Network Centric Operation (NCO) System, will give the three branches of the Armed Forces a shared situational awareness, interoperability and a common operating picture via a X-band satellite-based link and a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system, with hopes to enable self-synchronisation for all three branches.[45] The programme will go through several phases, with Phase 1A (the implementation of the Mobile X-band satellite communication linked) and Phase 2 (the demonstration of the capabilities of the FSS with NCO) being successful and operational in 2017.[46] In 2018, during the annual DSA convention, the Malaysian Army showcased a joint exercise between the NCO systems via Army Operations Room and soldiers equipped with FSS systems, where the Army Operations Room coordinated the soldiers doing numerous activities, first being a live firing of a 3-man squad involving the usage of artillery and how precise the accuracy of the artilleries via the FSS and NCO equipment, second being in an Army Training Centre, and last being a real simulation operation in East Malaysia.[47] Currently, several combat elements such as the 12th Royal Malay Regiment and the 4th Mechanised Brigade are outfitted with the system. Through the use of this system, the Malaysian Army is able to operate anywhere throughout the world, especially during United Nations Operations.
See also
- Malaysian Armed Forces
- Malaysia Coast Guard
- Royal Malaysia Police
- Royal Johor Military Force
- Joint Forces Command
Notes
- ^ 1 March is marked as Army Day in honour of the Penang Rifle Volunteers (PRV) raising as the first military unit in the Malay Peninsula.
References
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- ^ IISS (2012), p. 265
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- Works cited
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (2012). "The Military Balance 2012". The Military Balance: Annual Estimates of the Nature and Size of the Military Forces of the Principal Powers. London: IISS. ISSN 0459-7222.