There is a Visible Trend Toward Upgrades and Offsets in Line With the Increased Focus on the Indigenous Industry
This research explores Malaysia’s defense outlook from 2019 to 2024. With a shifting political landscape, conflicting claims to islands in the South China Sea and budgetary restraints, Malaysia’s defense approach for the coming years reflects a changing environment. This analysis covers aspects of the defense industry, including budgets, drivers and restraints to growth and trends in the sector, as well as defense equipment acquisitions including historical and forecast adoptions. The study also provides insights on how attractive the Malaysian defense market is for suppliers and manufacturers. Further, it gives details about the stakeholders involved in the procurement of defense equipment, the procurement process, and the outlook.
As a major nation in Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s defense outlook is influenced by ASEAN and its global relationships. Efforts at establishing a viable local defense industry have led to the development of offset programs and technology transfer agreements. However, cost factors have seen some programs pivot from local production to partner countries. Budget constraints, therefore, are a major factor impacting the outlook for the Malaysian defense sector. This is reflected in a shift to multi-purpose equipment in military modernization efforts, reducing the upkeep and cost associated with many specific equipment types. Overall, the majority of changes to Malaysia’s order of battle will stem from upgrades of existing equipment rather than replacement.
With shifting regional relationships, disputes in the South China Sea and continued unlawful human movement, border security remains a core concern for Malaysia, especially in the Sabah region. Since the delineation of the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency, there has been an increased emphasis on securing the country’s borders, a huge part of it is flanked by waterways.
With the first-ever defense whitepaper published in late 2019, it is clear that Malaysia is refocusing her efforts on the domestic defense industry. While efforts are being made to contain defense spending, the plan remains in place to modernize the country’s fleet through streamlining and increasing the number of multi-role vessels and vehicles.
Using 2018 as a base year, this research explores the outlook for the Malaysian defense sector over the period from 2018 to 2024.
Key Issues Addressed:
- How is the defense sector in Malaysia faring?
- What are the leading drivers and restraints for the Malaysian defense market?
- What are the current trends in the Malaysian defense market?
- How have the country’s defense equipment acquisitions been historically?
- What is the forecast for defense equipment acquisitions in Malaysia?
- How attractive is the Malaysian defense market?
