KUALA LUMPUR:Chief of Defence Force Gen Tan Sri Affendi Buang says he is satisfied with the current line-up of Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) assets.

He said this was evidenced by the involvement of the MAF and its assets to perform essential tasks such as patrolling, monitoring, information gathering and other support tasks.

“Assets have been mobilised for assignments such as Operation Benteng (Op Benteng) and Operation Penawar on a non-stop basis, including in terms of providing support flights and the operation of the Field Hospital throughout this COVID-19 pandemic.

"In addition, the asset acquisition plan under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) has been approved by the Ministry of Defence and with the acquisition of these assets, the level of preparedness will be enhanced further, and it will be able to contribute to the success of the ongoing operations," he said in a special address in conjunction with the new year on MAF's official Facebook page yesterday.

In the meantime, Affendi said the establishment of MAF’s Cyber and Electromagnetic Division last year would shore up the capabilities of the country in cyber and electronic warfare.

"This capability will continue to be strengthened so that MAF can deal with any cyber threats, as we are now living in a ‘borderless world’, and on the verge of Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) which is highly dependent on operating in the cyber domain," he said.

Affendi also hopes that the MAF will make rapid technological changes and place IR4.0, announced since 2011, as a benchmark to become a technologically savvy military force.

"At the same time, we should be able to operate all equipment and systems more efficiently, besides being able to produce the necessary programmes or software ourselves without having to rely on external parties," he said.

Meanwhile, Affendi reminded MAF personnel on adhering to the new norms and standard operating procedures (SOP) even though COVID-19 vaccines would be available soon.

"The MAF needs to strengthen and streamline the implementation of Op Benteng to prevent illegal immigrants from encroaching into the country's borders as there is a risk of the virus (COVID-19) spreading again, which will thwart the government's efforts to stop this pandemic," he said.

-- BERNAMA