The Ministry of Defence ( ms, Kementerian Pertahanan), abbreviated MINDEF, KEMENTAH, is a ministry of the

Government of Malaysia The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia ( ms, Kerajaan Persekutuan Malaysia), is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Malays ...

that is responsible for

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military att ...

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the prima ...

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, intelligence services,

counterintelligence Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ...

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

, and

veterans affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

. The Minister of Defence administers his functions through the Ministry of Defence and a range of other government agencies. Its headquarters is in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

History

Ministry of Defence was established on 31 August 1957 and officially began operations in a building located in Brockman Road (now Jalan Dato' Onn),

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

. This building also housed the office of the first Defence Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak bin Datuk Hussein, who served from 31 August 1957 to 22 September 1970. The first building of the Ministry of Defence was constructed by the Federal Government at a cost of RM122,000.00 and was officially opened by Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Datuk Hussein on 18 March 1960. The building constructed in Jalan Padang Tembak also housed the Chiefs and Officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces of the three services. As a result of growing awareness among leaders of the importance of the armed forces, a complex consisting of six blocks of four storeys high was built in front of the Office of the Member Services Division to cater for the growing membership. The RM 2 million building was officially opened by

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...

on 6 April 1967. After the withdrawal of the British troops, the Malaysian Government took drastic measures to improve the security of the country from any threat. This task is entrusted to the Ministry of Defence as well as the task of improving efficiency in the management of military needs from time to time. To accommodate all the agencies under one roof, the government has decided to build a new building for the Ministry of Defence. As a symbolic, the foundation stone was laid by the then Deputy Defence Minister, Dato' Abu Bakar bin Datu Abang Abang Haji Mustapha on 10 March 1982. The new building is located at Jalan Padang Tembak, Kuala Lumpur and was built with a budget of RM144 million and was completed in mid 1985. This 20 storey high building is known as "WISMA PERTAHANAN" and provides office space and meeting rooms. The area around "WISMA PERTAHANAN" known as the Defence Complex also provides facilities such as multi-storey car park building, auditorium, prayer room, Field of Defence (Parade Ground), guard stations, towers, computer room, 'helipad', cafeteria and others. The Ministry of Defence is led by the Minister of Defence and assisted by a Deputy Minister. The organization of the Ministry of Defence consists of two main services. First, is the Public Service which is headed by the Secretary General and the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) is headed by Chief of the Armed Forces. Source :

Organisation

* Minister of Defence ** Deputy Minister *** Secretary-General **** Under the Authority of Secretary-General ***** Internal Audit and Investigation Division ***** Malaysian Armed Forces Council Secretariat ***** Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Unit ***** Legal Division ***** Strategic Communication Unit ***** Integrity Unit **** Deputy Secretary-General (Development) ***** Development Division ***** Procurement Division ***** Malaysian Armed Forces Cataloguing Authority **** Deputy Secretary-General (Policy) ***** Policy and Strategic Planning Division ***** Defence Industry Division ***** Defence Reserve Depot **** Deputy Secretary-General (Management) ***** Human Resource Management Division ***** Information Management Division ***** Finance Division ***** Account Division ***** Administration Division **** Chief of Defence Forces ***** Chief of Army ***** Chief of Navy ***** Chief of Air Force ***** Joint Force Commander ***** Director of General Defence Intelligence ***** Chief of Staff Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters

Federal departments

# Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters (MAF), or ''Markas Angkatan Tentera Malaysia''.
Official site
##

Malaysian Army The Malaysian Army ( ms, Tentera Darat Malaysia; Jawi: تنترا دارت مليسيا) is the land component of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Steeped in British Army traditions, the Malaysian Army does not carry the title ‘royal’ () as do th ...

, or ''Tentera Darat Malaysia''.
Official site
##

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of op ...

, or ''Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia''.
Official site
##

Royal Malaysian Air Force The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, ms, Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia; TUDM; Jawi: ) was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (; ). However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force format ...

, or ''Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia''.
Official site
## Joint Forces Command, Malaysia, or ''Markas Angkatan Bersama''.
Official site
##

Malaysian Defence Intelligence Organisation Malaysian Defence Intelligence Organisation is the military intelligence agency of Malaysia Armed Forces. Its role is said to be equivalent to the US Defense Intelligence Agency. MDIO is headed by an army lieutenant general and consists of tri se ...

, or ''Pertubuhan Perisikan Pertahanan Malaysia'' (PPPM). # National Service Training Department, or ''Jabatan Latihan Khidmat Negara'' (JLKN).
Official site
# Malaysian Armed Forces Department of Veterans Affairs, or ''Jabatan Hal Ehwal Veteran Angkatan Tentera Malaysia'' (JHEV).
Official site
# Judge Advocate General Department, or ''Jabatan Ketua Hakim Peguam''. # Office of the Ministry of Defence Sabah (MINDEF Sabah), or ''Pejabat Kementerian Pertahanan Sabah''. # Office of the Ministry of Defence Sarawak (MINDEF Sarawak), or ''Pejabat Kementerian Pertahanan Sarawak''.

Federal agencies

# Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security (MiDAS), or ''Institut Pertahanan dan Keselamatan Malaysia''.
Official site
# Science and Technology Research Institute For Defence (STRIDE), or ''Institut Penyelidikan Sains dan Teknologi Pertahanan''.
Official site
# Malaysian Armed Forces Cataloguing Authority (MAFCA), or ''Penguasa Katalog Angkatan Tentera Malaysia''.
Official site
# Defence Reserve Depot, or ''Depot Simpanan Pertahanan''.

# Ex-Serviceman Affairs Corporation, or ''Perbadanan Hal Ehwal Bekas Angkatan Tentera'' (PERHEBAT).
Official site
# Armed Forces Fund Board, ''Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera'' (LTAT).
Official site

Key legislation

The Ministry of Defence is responsible for administration of several key Acts: * Armed Forces Act 1972 ct 77* Arms Act 1960 ct 206* National Service Act 1952 ct 425* National Service Training Act 2003 ct 628* Veterans Act 2012 ct 740

Policy Priorities of the Government of the Day

* On 24 February 2020, MINDEF Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces Haji Affendi Buang had unveiled the inaugural Defence White Paper which sets up strategic orientations for Malaysia's military defence in the next 10 years. The paper highlights Malaysia's geography as a maritime nation and Malaysian government’s commitment to pursuing the three pillars of the defence strategy, namely concentric deterrence, comprehensive defence and credible partnerships. The paper further primed focus on dealing with non-traditional security issues like terrorism, piracy and maritime security, cyber crime and security, and transnational crimes, as well as to apply modern technologies to defence. The 104-page document can be viewed at the following link on the MINDEF website.

References

External links

Ministry of Defence Malaysia portal
* {{authority control Federal ministries, departments and agencies of Malaysia Military of Malaysia

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

Ministries established in 1957 1957 establishments in Malaya