Kuala lumpur: Major global powers must exercise their military capabilities responsibly and uphold international law and rules-based orders consistently rather than selectively, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. He stated that Malaysia regarded countries with significant military capabilities as custodians of global peace and stability, a recognition that came with great expectations and responsibilities.
According to Nam News Network, Mohamed Khaled emphasized that while Malaysia does not dictate how other nations should conduct their foreign policy and international affairs, it expects them to respect international laws and rules-based orders consistently. This message was delivered during his welcoming remarks at the 37th Annual International Military Law and Operations Conference (MILOPS) 2026. The four-day conference gathers defense leaders, military officials, national security practitioners, legal experts, policymakers, and scholars from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Mohamed Khaled highlighted that no meaningful Indo-Pacific dialogue could occur without a peaceful and united ASEAN, noting that Southeast Asia is central to the wider region. He stressed that ASEAN's stability is critical to the region's overall stability and that its established security architecture should remain the conduit for substantial Indo-Pacific discourse.
He reiterated that Southeast Asia must continue to be a Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality (ZOPFAN), a concept proposed by Malaysia under the leadership of the country's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. The vision was proclaimed in Kuala Lumpur by ASEAN's founding members in 1971 during the Cold War and intense rivalry among major powers. Mohamed Khaled affirmed that the principle remains relevant more than five decades later, as neutrality and non-alignment have enabled the region to avoid major conflict, achieve economic growth, and strengthen regional cooperation.
Mohamed Khaled also called on all countries engaging with ASEAN to understand and respect the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), describing it as ASEAN's code of conduct. He stated that TAC embodies principles such as mutual respect, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference, and cooperation. Engagement with ASEAN should be guided by these principles, which have helped preserve peace, build trust, and foster prosperity in the region.
Addressing military leaders and officials at the conference, Mohamed Khaled emphasized that the military's purpose is not to wage war or create conflict. Instead, the true purpose is to ensure that war and conflict never become necessary. He advocated for resolving conflicts through peaceful dialogue, mediation, and diplomacy whenever possible.
Mohamed Khaled further explained that the presence of soldiers and military forces should be viewed as a collective commitment to peace rather than a demonstration of power or intimidation. Hosting MILOPS in Malaysia reflects the country's longstanding belief that dialogue and engagement are the strongest instruments for preserving peace and its open-door approach to cooperation based on mutual trust and respect.
The MILOPS 2026 conference, hosted in Kuala Lumpur from August 3 to 6 by the US Pacific Command, brings together government officials and military representatives from over 30 countries. The conference aims to address common security challenges and explore ways to enhance cooperation in deterring and responding to coercion, aggression, and legal warfare in the region. It also focuses on strengthening legal interoperability, expanding combined exercises, and enhancing information sharing to build a more resilient and integrated regional security architecture capable of countering aggression and maintaining stability.