KUALA LUMPUR: National security assets which are outdated and more than 40 years old cannot operate at optimal levels, raising concerns among defence experts about the ability to maintain the country's sovereignty.
Former Maritime Research and Excellence Centre, National Defence University, fellow Lieutenant-Commander (Rtd) Farizha Ibrahim said aging and outdated defence assets can become risky if mitigation aspects such as maintenance are not prioritised.
The former commanding officer of KD Handalan said assets such as outdated vessels in the Royal Malaysian Navy were also unsuitable for certain operations, including patrolling the nation's Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) located far from the coastlines.
"We have to acknowledge that national defence assets like the RMN's surface vessels are old, but it's not appropriate to generalise them as being outdated.
"There are some surface vessels which are 50 years old and KD Pendekar, which sank yesterday, is 45 years old and can still operate within the mission parameters of the RMN.
"Despite its age, this ship would have undergone routine refits every three to five years, along with other scheduled maintenance to ensure it can remain operational. It is more accurate to describe the situation of these RMN assets as 'aged', but still capable of operating, although not optimally, with appropriate mitigation measures.
" Without mitigation measures such as maintenance, there is a risk to the ship's crew when operating at sea due to the aging hull, machinery, and systems of the ship. It becomes outdated when it can no longer perform its duties effectively and safely," he told Berita Harian.
It was reported yesterday that the fast attack ship KD Pendekar sank after striking an unknown underwater object the day before. All the crew members, however, were rescued.
Citing the KD Pendekar as an example, Farizha said its original design was to fulfil the concept of hit-and-run operations within a short period.
However, due to a shortage of assets, he said, it had to be operated as a patrol vessel that stays at sea for extended periods of time.
He said, in its original concept, the ship would only have to operate in short periods of time, launching high-speed anti-ship guided missiles and leaving the scene immediately after.
"This doctrine is appropriate for maritime nations which have many islands and shallow seas, like ours. However, what is happening now is that we have had to change the function of this ship to that of a patrol vessel which operates for extended periods of time, due to the lack of assets.
"Sure, it still fulfils the functions of the RMN, and is able to patrol the nation's waters, but it is not the best fit, especially when we're patrolling our EEZs which are far from our coastlines, and in an aged vessel too.
Meanwhile, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) security and defense studies expert Professor Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam said he believes that the incident involving KD Pendekar should be taken seriously by the government to improve the quality of the country's defence assets.
With strong political will, he said, was needed to solve issues with defence assets.
"The assets we have are plagued with scandals... the littoral combat ship issue, the Scorpene submarines, the helicopters and the like.
"This shows that we are faced with difficult situations, especially when it comes to facing problems in the South China Sea. The assets that we have aren't able to operate at optimal levels to ensure our safety and sovereignty.
"Perhaps for the short term, the country can get better, more advanced assets by procurement, while trying to develop our own projects such as the LCS project.
"This needs strong political will and I am confident that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has the capability, given his good relations with major countries, including through BRICS, to purchase assets directly."