Deepening Malaysia and Australia defence ties

It is one of the largest and most complex military drill hosted by Australia, with over 30,000 troops from 19 countries joining the exercise on land, air, sea, cyber, and space domains across training ranges from Queensland to Papua New Guinea.

While Malaysia joins only as an observer this year , the participation still can be viewed as an enduring strategic relationship with Australia that stretches back since independence of Malaya. Back in RMAF Butterworth Penang, some construction and engineering upgrade works have been running since few years back.

Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have been working together for more than half a century. Under Operation Gateway, RMAF Butterworth Penang has been hosting RAAF No.19 Squadron for decades. Since1980s, long-range maritime surveillance missions operated by RAAF were flown from the airbase across Malacca Strait, South China Sea and Indian Ocean to support freedom of navigation and security patrol.

Today, the squadron is upgraded with modern P-8A Poseidon maritime and reconnaissance aircraft. The base upgrades not only signalling its continued relevance, but a future-facing hub for joint operations. Beyond Talisman Sabre, Australia regularly hosts other major multilateral exercises such as Pitch Black and Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE) . Australia is one of the few countries in the world, which is able to hosting large number of countries for military exercise on regular basis.

For Exercise Pitch Black, Malaysia sent F-18D Hornets, A400M Atlas transport Aircraft and ground personnels to Darwin in Year 2018 and 2024 respectively .

Malaysia has also consistently welcomed Australian naval visits under IPE. In 2019, HMAS Canberra, Newcastle, and Success called at Port Klang and Langkawi respectively, where joint jungle warfare training and ANZAC Day commemorations took place in Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan. In IPE 2022, Malaysian personnel conducted simulated medical aboard Australia’s largest amphibious assault ship, HMAS Adelaide , as well as damage-control exercises on HMAS Anzac. Both forces build interoperability through shared drills, joint planning, and the personal relationships that underpin real-world cooperation.

Beyond multinational military drills and Operation Gateway, Malaysia and Australia also conduct a range of bilateral exercises that bring together advanced platforms and personnel across air, land, and sea domains.

In biennial Exercise Elangaroo , the RAAF has deployed F 35A Lightning II stealth fighters and C 27J Spartans to RMAF Butterworth, operating alongside Malaysian F/A 18D Hornets and Su 30MKM jets in integrated missions. On land, Malaysia deployed AV8 Gempita vehicles training with Australian forces in mechanised tactics and jungle warfare in Exercise Haringgaroo .

At sea, Exercise Mastex has since 2002 brought together the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) for live-fire drills, air defence serials, boarding party training, and joint manoeuvres. Vessels such as KD Lekiu, KD Jebat, HMAS Ballarat, and HMAS Anzac are no stranger to this exercise, further tightening coordination between both countries.

One point worth to mention is the operation of F/A-18 Hornets fighting aircraft.

While both air forces now operate very different fleets, their shared history with the F/A 18 Hornet remains a valuable bridge. Malaysia’s F/A 18D, acquired in the late 1990s, was specifically configured for air-to-ground roles , and later upgraded with ammunitions such as JDAMs, laser-guided bombs, AGM 65 Mavericks, and ATFLIR targeting pods . Meanwhile, F/A 18A/B Hornets, acquired by RAAF earlier than Malaysia, was more focused on air superiority, also received multirole enhancements. While F/A-18D still remained a strong pillar in RMAF, F/A-18A/B have retired since 2021 .

Despite differences in variant and capability, this overlap in period of services allowed both air forces to build common operating procedures, tactical familiarity, and maintenance insight. The legacy of F/A-18A/B is now carried over into training involving next-generation systems like the F 35A, offering valuable insight for Malaysian pilots and planners adapting to evolving air combat doctrine.

Su 30MKM, acquired by RMAF since 2007, and F 35A operated by RAAF are products of different philosophies. While SU-30MKM provides air dominance and kinetic reach, F-35A with stealth characteristics can conduct ISR and precision strike.

Although indirectly interoperable, their cooperation in exercises such as Elangaroo highlights how both aircraft can complement each other in simulated coalition scenarios.

The role of Australia as a regional anchor is difficult to be overstated. Its geography straddling the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as sophisticated military assets, and established relationships with both Western allies and Southeast Asian neighbours give it a unique balancing position.

Malaysia, sitting at the critical maritime chokepoints of Malacca Straits and South China Sea, need to work closely with Australia and maintaining trust with powers like the United States to uphold a rules-based maritime order, particularly in sensitive areas such as the South China Sea.

Through shared visions, regional collaboration and quiet partnerships, this trilateral balance promotes security without provocation.

How about the defence tie between Malaysia and Australia in the era of AUKUS?

The emergence of AUKUS focus on high-end capabilities like nuclear-powered submarines and cyber technologies among Australia, UK and US. Though the content of AUKUS remained largely secretive , can Malaysia’s participation in frameworks like the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) keeps it connected to the key developments in AUKUS?

From the bottom of all this, Butterworth is not just a military base, but a symbol for continuity. As the Indo-Pacific region becoming more contested and unstable, Malaysia and Australia must resist the temptation on past successes. Instead, both countries should push for deeper, more technically integrated, and forward-looking cooperation. more exercises are not required, but more in-depth and technological-complexed exercise. No more agreements but more readiness and collaborations. In a region where trust must be earned, the partnership between Malaysia and Australia has all the ingredients to lead - quietly, steadily, and together.

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Phar Kim Beng is Director of the Institute of Internationalization and ASEAN Studies (IINTAS), Professor of ASEAN Studies in International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and a former Head Teaching Fellow at Harvard University.