The Impact of the National Defence Policy and Defence White Paper on the Development of the Malaysian Defence Industry

Abstract

The introduction of the National Defence Policy (NDP) in 2010 and the Defence White Paper (DWP) in 2020 by the government of Malaysia mainly drives the national defence industry towards achieving the principle of self-reliance and preserving prosperity, peace, and sovereignty of the country. Furthermore, the significance of both policies is to ensure the need for the nation to achieve optimal defence capabilities and high readiness for the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF). The principle of self-reliance is vital in the defence industry in providing the country's aspirations towards developing and producing indigenous military products and not relying on foreign manufacturers. But still, the development of this industry has yet shown the desired performance or is comparable to neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Indonesia, where these two countries have successfully reached the second tier for arms manufacturing countries. This paper delivers a conceptual analysis of the impact of the NDP and DWP on the development of the Malaysian defence industry. This study uses qualitative research as a methodological method by analysing the data obtained through interviews with prominent personnel in the local defence industry, literacy studies, and related national defence policies through the Thematic Data Analysis and ATLAS.ti. This study will also propose a conceptual analysis to strengthen the development of the national defence industry.