KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — A proposal by eight United States (US) lawmakers to suspend military training funding for Malaysia is unlikely to undermine the longstanding defence partnership between the two countries, with strategic interests in regional security expected to prevail.
Prof Adam Leong Kok Wey of the Department of Strategy, Faculty of Defence Studies and Management, said he did not expect the proposal to alter Washington's broader defence policy towards Malaysia.
Speaking on the Bernama World programme recently, he said Malaysia remained an important strategic partner for the US due to its strategic location along the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, making bilateral defence cooperation a matter of mutual interest.
"I do not think it will jeopardise our strong defence and security ties," Leong said when discussing the topic "The Implications of Proposed Changes to US-Malaysia Military Training Funds."
He added that Malaysia and the US had built close defence cooperation over the decades through military education, capability development, defence equipment transfers, and regular joint exercises.
Malaysian military officers have also benefited from the International Military Education and Training programme by attending professional courses at US military institutions.
Both nations regularly conduct joint exercises, including the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training maritime exercise and the Keris Strike army exercise.
Leong said that Putrajaya and Washington share common security interests in promoting maritime security and maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Pointing to ongoing defence cooperation, he noted that the US has provided Malaysia with ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicles, long-range radar systems, and funding to upgrade Royal Malaysian Air Force CN-235 aircraft into maritime surveillance platforms under the Maritime Security Initiative.
