Asian Defence News1

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Malaysia to Set Up HQ Naval Region 4

MALAYSIA has affirmed its status as a "maritime nation" in the 2019 Defence White Paper (DWP). Keeping this in mind, there is a convincing need for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) to constantly construct its navy towards becoming a more resilient and forceful fleet.Therefore, there is an urgent need for the government to inaugurate the Headquarters (HQ) Naval Region 4 in Bintulu, Sarawak, also referred to as Markas Wilayah Laut 4 (MAWILLA 4).

At the moment, the Sarawak coast and its Economic Exclusive Zone is overseen by HQ Eastern Fleet in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.With the length of the Sabah and Sarawak coastlines recorded at 1,743km and 1,035km, respectively, the navy is expected to face challenges in allocation of assets and personnel between these two points of contact.A country that has extensive coastlines and access to sea but limited ports, harbour and base will lead to poor accessibility and response time during a crisis, exposing it to external threats.

Currently, RMN has five main naval bases at important maritime flashpoints.HQ Western Fleet in Lumut, Perak, manages Peninsular Malaysia and HQ Eastern Fleet manages East Malaysia.HQ Western Fleet and the HQ Naval Region 3 (MAWILLA 3) in Langkawi, Kedah, watch over the west of the peninsula, which is connected to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman sea, a hotspot for illegal seaborne threats, smuggling and trafficking activities. It also looks out over the Malacca Straits, the busiest international trading route.

HQ Naval Region 1 (MAWILLA 1) is located in Kuantan, Pahang, and shields the east coast of the peninsula, a common area for foreign fishermen encroachments.HQ Eastern Fleet is cardinal to guard Malaysia's maritime interest in the South China Sea (SCS) and the HQ Naval Region 2 (MAWILLA 2) is pivotal for Sandakan to oversee the Sulu Sea. It also keeps an eye on the Celebes Sea in Indonesia.

With the construction of MAWILLA 4, the RMN can beef up its readiness to protect the nation's maritime interest in SCS. Beting Patinggi Ali (BPA) is a point to stress, a frequent area for China's maritime incursions. Its recent air intrusion demonstrates the challenges faced by RMN.At the moment, RMN has a continuous presence in BPA and Spratly Islands. Setting up base will reduce the overstretched logistical support from Sabah to oversee these areas. Moreover, the physical existence of MAWILLA 4 will deny China's effort to persistently seek to the alter status quo there.Although Indonesia adheres to its non-claimant status in SCS, the Badan Keamanan Laut Republik Indonesia, or Bakamla, has beefed up its efforts to prevent Chinese intrusions in the Natuna Islands, close to Sarawak waters. In this sense, MAWILLA 4 can better support the RMN in the area.

MAWILLA 4 can also be a supporting ground for economic activities. Geological provinces of Sarawak, namely West Baram Delta, Balingian, Central Luconia, Tinjar, Tatau, West Luconia, and North Luconia have fish stocks and hydrocarbons.Oil and gas is abundant there. In enhanced oil recovery projects, predominant companies have invested heavily in Sabah and Sarawak, and the profit it can generate is enormous.In 2019, Petronas paid RM2.95 billion in sales tax back to Sarawak, a five per cent profit from a total RM59 billion income generated from the state's oil production.

Hence, the RMN plays a significant role in ensuring security of the area and providing support for accessibility and continuity of offshore projects. It is worth noting that in many cities and towns, military bases serve as a driver for the local economy.For these reasons, the MAWILLA 4 project must begin promptly. This base will affirm our claims in SCS, provide security assurance to the local maritime community and impact the socioeconomy of Bintulu positively in the long run.

JASDF and PAF to hold first joint training exercise

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will conduct a Bilateral Training on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) with the Philippine Air Force (PAF) on July 5-8, 2021, at Clark Air Base, Mabalacat City Pampanga. This is the first Air-to-Air bilateral training between the two air forces, which will mark a significant milestone for defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.Both Japan and the Philippines are vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons due to their climate and topography. Japan is proud to share with the PAF the JASDF’s experience and knowledge on delivery operations of relief goods to people in urgent need.During said exercise, the JASDF will deploy a training unit of Air Support Command – one C-130H cargo aircraft along with its personnel. The unit will have a four-day joint training session with their Philippine counterparts, aimed at strengthening interoperability for delivering relief goods to affected people in isolated areas in severe emergency situations. The training exercise will include load/offload training and simulated airdrop training.

The unit shall strictly observe all COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and quarantine rules set by the Philippine Government particularly those of the IATF- EID upon deployment.“We are grateful and honoured to visit the Philippines and to conduct the first Air-to-Air Bilateral Training on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief with the Philippine Air Force, especially this year, which marks the 65th anniversary of Friendship and the 10th anniversary of Strategic Partnership between our countries,” says unit commander Major MIZUNO Masaki of the JASDF ahead of the training exercise.“Japan and the Philippines are both natural disaster-prone countries and there are so much we can share on disaster relief operations for saving lives and alleviating the suffering of people in need. We aim for achieving a higher level of coordination and operative capabilities on HA/DR through our training exercises with the PAF.”

Major MIZUNO highlights,” As a strategic partner and friend of the Philippines, we hope that our bilateral training will contribute to further strengthen the cooperation between our two Air Forces”Japan reiterates the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) which is inclusive and based on the rule of law, democratic values, territorial integrity, transparency, and peaceful resolution of disputes, and underscores its intention to work together with the Philippines and other partner countries through a wide range of activities and cooperation for peace, stability, and prosperity in our regions and beyond.Back in 2013, the JASDF extended assistance to the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in November. Japan’s Ministry of Defense and the Japan Self-Defense Forces deployed in total 1,180 personnel, three vessels, and sixteen aircrafts, of which seven were C-130H cargo aircrafts for medical assistance and relief supply in affected areas.