Malaysia says its navy and air force are guarding the Malacca Strait against a Hormuz-style disruption

Malaysia's deputy defence minister, Adly Zahari, has told parliament that the navy and air force are carrying out continuous surveillance, patrols and readiness operations in the Malacca Strait, and that the armed forces are training, exercising and assessing risks so they are prepared if shipping through the waterway is disrupted. He was answering questions in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of parliament, on Monday, 26 October.

The question came from Hasni Mohammad, the Barisan Nasional member for Simpang Renggam. He asked how prepared Malaysia was if the strait became a geopolitical flashpoint or suffered disruption like that seen in the Strait of Hormuz, and how ministries and agencies work together to protect national security, freedom of navigation and the country's strategic interests.

Round-the-clock naval operations

Adly said the Royal Malaysian Navy runs round-the-clock operations to protect sea lines of communication, with support from the Royal Malaysian Air Force, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and other agencies. The Malaysian Reserve reported that he described the navy and air force as carrying out joint patrols along those shipping routes. He said the government's approach was to keep readiness at a level that matches current security developments.

He added that the defence ministry keeps watch on security along strategic sea routes around the world, including Hormuz, but argued that the Malacca Strait has its own context because of the close cooperation among the states that border it and its importance to Malaysia, ASEAN and international trade.

Patrols with three neighbours

At the regional level, Adly said Malaysia continues to strengthen the Malacca Strait Patrols arrangement with Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. According to the New Straits Times, the arrangement combines coordinated sea patrols, the Eyes in the Sky air surveillance programme and an intelligence exchange group, and aims to make patrols more effective while improving information sharing and awareness of activity at sea.

At home, he said, the effort is run as a whole-of-government task, including through the Maritime Operations Action Committee. That committee is coordinated by the National Security Council and brings together ministries, the armed forces and enforcement agencies. Replying to a supplementary question on regional diplomacy, he named the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting as the main multilateral forum for sharing information and protecting navigation in both the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea, the Malaysian Reserve reported.

Longer-term plans

Responding to another member, Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz of Tanah Merah, Adly said Malaysia's Defence White Paper is reviewed every five years, most recently last year, when cyber defence was added as a growing area. He said the country has long-term plans running to 2050 for its maritime, land and air forces that cover asset purchases and capability development, and cited the littoral mission ships and FA-50 light combat aircraft bought through government-to-government deals as programmes on schedule.

He told the house that surveillance, information sharing, regional cooperation and diplomacy would continue to be strengthened so that the Malacca Strait stays safe, stable and open and international trade keeps flowing through it.