Malaysia's Defence Minister Khaled Nordin urged major powers, including the US and China, to uphold global stability and international law consistently, not selectively, at a conference in Kuala Lumpur. US PACOM officials also pledged to maintain a regional presence to deter aggression.
Malaysia enhances surveillance in its eastern waters with a new long-range radar on Swallow Reef and operational drones in Labuan. This move aims to counter threats amid revived Philippine claims over Sabah and persistent Chinese patrols near offshore energy fields, as announced by Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Malaysia is seeking €226 million from Norway for direct losses and additional costs after Norway abruptly withdrew export licenses for Naval Strike Missiles, citing a new policy on defense exports. The 2018 deal with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace was cancelled, provoking a furious response from Malaysian leaders.
Malaysia is seeking a refund for the Naval Strike Missile system it purchased from Norway after Oslo refused to grant an export license. Defense Minister Khaled urged his Norwegian counterpart to facilitate the refund process and suggested advancing repayment before seeking reimbursement from the involved company.
Malaysia's Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin stated that while the US has the right to ask allies to increase defence expenditure, Malaysia, as a developing economy, faces limitations. His comments followed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's call for Asian allies to raise military spending to 3.5% of GDP to counter China's military build-up. Malaysia's 2026 budget allocated 21.74 billion ringgit for defence.
Malaysia's Defense Minister Khaled criticizes international double standards after facing pressure over a contract dispute, highlighting unequal treatment of developing vs. powerful nations.
