WAR is hell. Those who survived the Battle of Thermopylae — the routing of Xerxes’ force of 250,000 for three days by Leonidas and his men at the Gates of Hell in September 480 BC — will attest to that.
Of course, things didn’t end well for him. Against a numerically and technologically superior force, Leonidas fell. But long after the Spartans’ phalanx crumbled, long after their hoplons were buried by the sands of time, the 300 achieved something every warrior craves. By dying, they attained immortality.
The battlefield is littered with lessons forged in steel and written in blood — from the Battle of Badr on March 13, 624 AD, to the exploits of The Few against the might of the Third Reich’s Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. Success on the frontline hinges on how well those lessons are absorbed.
Spelling out the nation’s warfighting doctrine in the coming decades will be the Defence White Paper that’s scheduled to be tabled in July. This document will be more than just a blueprint of our defence thinking. It will likely contain an honest assessment of our current capabilities, shortcomings and recommendations to overcome them.
Central will undoubtedly be the continually shrinking defence budget. That’s the harsh reality under the austere fiscal environment of the 21st century.
This is unlikely to change anytime soon.
In dealing with this, the Malaysian armed forces initiated a transformation process with a greater emphasis on the adoption of new technologies, force multipliers and developing human capital. Issues such as staff retention are being continually looked at. The upshot is that the remuneration package within the armed forces has gone up over the years, which goes a long way in addressing this problem.
In 2010, the RMAF launched a broad, sweeping set of changes under its “Air Force Next Generation” programme. It is also looking at improving its command and control infrastructure to better manage the battlespace through the use of datalink and other network-centric systems.
To rationalise its fleet and bring its operational expenditure to more acceptable and realistic levels, the RMN is reducing the types of vessels in its fleet. Its “15 to 5” programme, implemented in 2016, is a centrepiece plan to cut its current 15 classes of vessels to just five.
One of the biggest challenges facing the Malaysian armed forces is in countering asymmetric threats. Dealing with threats whose relative military capability, strategy and tactics differ significantly, requires a nimble and agile fighting force capable of quickly adapting to a rapidly changing set of circumstances. More so when we sit on terrorism’s front porch.
China’s posturing and flexing, and its overarching influence in the region, particularly in the South China Sea with all the attendant issues stemming from overlapping claims from the regional actors will no doubt shape the backdrop for the foreseeable future. The Defence White Paper, if done correctly, will give our warfighters a fighting chance to deal with any contingency.