ABSTRACT
Malaysia’s maritime territory comprises the Strait of Malacca, Strait of Singapore, parts of the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, the Sulu Sea and the Sulawesi Sea (Figure 9.1). These seas are vital to Malaysia’s sovereignty, economy and national integration. They pose different security challenges to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), which is tasked not only with ensuring Malaysia’s sovereignty in these areas but also with securing important sea lines of communication (SLOCs) between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak and protection of valuable resources in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The RMN has its origin in the Straits Settlement Naval Volunteer Reserve, formed in 1934, and has now developed into a naval force equipped with an advanced diesel electric submarine, new-generation patrol vessels and missile-equipped frigates. Notwithstanding these acquisitions, the bulk of the RMN’s assets are ageing and in need of replacement and upgrading. The renewal programme is ongoing and could eventually include six “littoral combat ships (LCS)”. Numbers apart, the RMN also faces myriad traditional and non-traditional security challenges from both within and outside Malaysia’s national jurisdiction. This chapter analyses the RMN’s development within the context of Malaysia’s past and current maritime security challenges and proposes several drivers of the RMN’s development and modernisation process. Malaysia's maritime boundary. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203406830/9901517d-5111-4899-a229-d32ae0d71dd1/content/fig9_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
