Abstract

In this intense era of military and defense development in South East Asia, Singapore has emergence as the fastest country in the development of military capabilities. The rapid military development that started in 1965 has made Singapore become the strongest and finest in military and defense compared to other Southeast Asia nations. Singapore’s decision to be independent from Malaysia has forced it to be self-reliant, especially in terms of security and defense. Singapore adopted the approach to develop and strengthen its defense and military system after achieving independence in 1965. Its increasing economic development in1990 has influenced the military development process and defense system. This rapid expansion has made Singapore emergence as the strongest and most advanced in military capabilities country in the Southeast Asian region. The offensive defense doctrine practiced such as forward defense, poison shrimp, pre-emptive strike and strategic weaponry ownership had raised concerns among leaders in the Southeast Asian countries. At the same time, Malaysia has also taken action to speed up its military development, diversifying the defense doctrine including total defense, complete military with modern and sophisticated defense equipment. It is speculated as a result of the security impact that Malaysia face from Singapore’s military development. Hence, this study tries to elaborate the impact or security implications on Malaysia resulting from Singapore’s military development from the Malaysian military perspective.

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