Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Defence is working on efforts to establish a Cyber Force as the fourth service branch of the Malaysian Armed Forces to address the threats posed by modern and cognitive warfare.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Defence Minister Datuk Seri b stated that the move was necessary as today's threats are no longer confined to traditional physical combat but have shifted towards dominance in cyberspace and the shaping of public perception. He emphasized the importance of implementing the Total Defence (HANRUH) concept in response to these evolving threats.

"We need to implement the Total Defence (HANRUH) concept because, in today's modern threats and challenges, wars do not necessarily begin with confrontation between security forces. They may instead start by taking control of our social media and other platforms. That is why, at the Ministry of Defence, we are working on efforts to establish a Cyber Force as the fourth service branch, as we have found that this is something we simply cannot avoid," he said.

He made these remarks in response to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Seri Prof Dr Noor Inayah Ya'akub on the integration of cyber and cognitive threats into the implementation of HANRUH in the Dewan Negara today. In response to the original question from Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim about strengthening the implementation of HANRUH, Mohamed Khaled mentioned that the ministry was also undertaking various initiatives. These include enhancing the National Service Training Programme at public institutions of higher learning.

Other initiatives involve increasing the allocation for Civil-Military Cooperation to RM20 million by 2026 and launching the Defence Literacy Programme in collaboration with Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia and the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security.