Felda lawin: The Keris Strike Exercise, now in its 30th edition, continues to attract growing international attention, reflecting the success of Malaysia's long-standing multilateral military cooperation programme. Army Chief General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan said this year's exercise saw the participation of observer officers from Thailand and Japan.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, this indicates that after more than 30 years, the exercise continues to gain recognition and trust from Malaysia's partner nations. General Muhammad Hafizuddeain emphasized that this reflects increasing international confidence in the joint training initiative, with hopes to involve more countries as observers in the future. He shared these insights during the final assault and closing ceremony of the Keris Strike Exercise Series 30/2025 at Felda Lawin earlier today.
The exercise featured a live-fire drill conducted at the Tanjung Hantu Firing Range yesterday, involving the Malaysian Army's ASTROS II Multiple Launch Rocket System and the U.S. Army's HIMARS system. The event was marked by the presence of Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, and Raja Permaisuri Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim, adding significance to the occasion. General Muhammad Hafizuddeain expressed satisfaction with the readiness displayed by the participating troops, particularly during the final assault phase, which marked the climax of the exercise. He confidently stated that the objectives of this joint training had been achieved.
Addressing issues raised in the recent Auditor-General's Report (LKAN) 2/2025 regarding non-compliance in contract management, General Muhammad Hafizuddeain confirmed that the National Audit Department is reviewing procedural lapses in one of the Army's earlier projects. He assured that these issues would be rectified and emphasized the importance of vigilance in ensuring contract managers pay closer attention to compliance and collection matters.
Last week, Auditor-General Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi highlighted significant weaknesses in procurement and contract administration for Malaysian Army armoured vehicles between 2020 and 2023. One of the key findings was the government's failure to collect RM162.75 million in late delivery penalties from the main supplier of the 8‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬8 GEMPITA armoured vehicles, despite the contract ending in December 2022.