LENGGONG, July 30 – 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.
“This shows that after more than 30 years, the exercise continues to gain recognition and trust from our partner nations.
“It also reflects growing international confidence in this joint training initiative. We aim to involve more countries as observers in the future,” he said following the final assault and closing ceremony of the Keris Strike Exercise Series 30/2025 at Felda Lawin on Tuesday.
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.
Muhammad Hafizuddeain said the event was made more significant with the presence of Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, and Raja Permaisuri Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim.
“It was a great honour for our armed forces to have Their Royal Highnesses witness the live-fire exercise. I’m fully satisfied with the level of readiness shown by the participating troops, especially during the final assault phase, which marked the climax of the exercise. We can confidently say the objectives of this joint training have been met,” he said.
He also addressed issues raised in the recent Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) 2/2025 regarding non-compliance in contract management, confirming that the National Audit Department is reviewing procedural lapses in one of the Army’s earlier projects.
“These will be rectified. Moving forward, we will be more vigilant and ensure contract managers pay closer attention to compliance and collection matters,” he said.
Last week, Auditor-General Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi revealed 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 8×8 GEMPITA armoured vehicles, despite the contract ending in December 2022.
