Malaysia aims for equal troop split between peninsula and Borneo, eyes missile replacement

At a ceremony in Kota Tinggi, Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the Malaysian Armed Forces will be re-allocated to achieve an even 50-percent presence in Peninsular Malaysia and in Sabah and Sarawak, moving away from the present two-thirds concentration on the peninsula. He noted that one outlet deployment involves roughly 20,000 personnel, with one-third already stationed in East Malaysia. Nordin also addressed concerns about the Philippines’ military upgrades on Balabac Island, describing them as a matter of regional readiness rather than an immediate danger to Malaysia. In a separate defence matter, the minister said Malaysia will press a claim against a Norwegian company after Norway cancelled the export licence for the Naval Strike Missile system, and that the government is reviewing replacement options from three countries, with an estimated price tag of RM700 million to over RM1 billion that will require fresh funding.