Malaysia publishes its first White Paper
Malaysia’s parliament passed the country’s first ever Defence White Paper on 2 December to guide defence planning and development from 2020-30. Amidst opposition criticism on the shortcomings of its contents, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu tabled the paper with most of the cabinet, including the prime minister and finance minister, absent.
The White Paper’s procurement content overlooks or contradicts some current developments, such as calling for 155mm self-propelled howitzers even while the government is cancelling acquisition of 29 Excess Defense Article M109A5s signed for in 2018.
The Malaysian Army also requires new 105mm howitzers, a new armoured vehicle to replace aging
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