SINGAPORE, May 29 — The United States (US) has assured Malaysia that it will consider selling the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) as a solution to the issues facing the country regarding the acquisition of the weapon system from Norway, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The matter was raised by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, which runs from today to Sunday (May 31).
He also briefed Hegseth on the issues facing Malaysia regarding the purchase of NSM from Norway and sought Washington's views on the matter.
"We have asked the US for its views to help find a solution to the issue at hand because it is well known that there is a US company that manufactures the same missile as Norway.
"We have asked whether the US is willing to allow the sale of the missile to us to address the problem at hand," Mohamed told Bernama today.
Previously, Oslo revoked the NSM's export license to Malaysia and its associated launcher system on the grounds of protecting its national security.
According to the Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace US website, the NSM procurement contract was signed in April 2018 between the Royal Malaysian Navy and KDA, with a contract value of €124 million (RM571.9 million) to equip six new littoral combat ships.
Meanwhile, Khaled said the US also proposed sharing information on the Maritime Domain Awareness program implemented by Malaysia.
In other developments, he met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister cum Defence Minister Richard Marles to discuss efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation between the two countries.
The cooperation includes the establishment of a Joint Planning Committee, expanded information sharing and preparations for the upcoming Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee and Five-Power Defence Arrangements meetings.
"I congratulate Australia on the implementation of the National Defence Strategy 2026 (NDS 2026) and Integrated Investment Programme 2026 (IIP 2026) as important steps in strengthening its defence capabilities and readiness," Khaled said.
Regarding Canada, the minister said Malaysia and Australia were ready to strengthen defence ties through more formal cooperation.
"We propose that a formal form of defence cooperation be established that is signed by both countries because currently the existing cooperation is not based on any agreement," he said.
The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2026, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, brought together defence ministers, military chiefs, and diplomats from dozens of countries to discuss regional and global security and defence issues.
