Kajian ini menilai kesan pandemik COVID-19 terhadap keupayaan keselamatan dan pertahanan negara. Pasukan keselamatan dan aset keselamatan negara terlibat secara langsung dalam usaha menangani pandemik COVID-19. Pada masa yang sama, negara tetap berdepan dengan ancaman pencerobohan sempadan berikutan konflik geopolitik di Laut China Selatan. Selain itu, kajian ini turut meneliti peningkatan ancaman keselamatan dalam bentuk baharu seperti pengintipan siber, jenayah siber dan jenayah media baharu ekoran norma baharu semasa pandemik COVID-19 yang meningkatkan penggunaan internet untuk pelbagai urusan harian. Pandemik ini juga telah meningkatkan kekangan bajet pertahanan negara kerana kerajaan perlu menanggung perbelanjaan yang besar untuk menangani krisis kesihatan dan ekonomi yang timbul akibat pandemik COVID-19.
This study analyses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s security and defense capabilities. National security forces and assets were directly involved in helping the government to manage the pandemic. At the same time, the country continues to face the threat of border invasion due to the geopolitical conflicts in the South China Sea. In addition, this study examines the increase of security threats in new forms such as cyber espionage, cyber crime and new media crimes following the new norms during the COVID-19 pandemic that has increased the use of the internet for various daily activities. The pandemic has also increased the national defense budget constraints because the government has incurred huge expenses to deal with the health and economic crises that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.