SHAH ALAM: The Armed Forces Assistant Chief of Staff Personnel Services Lt General Nizam Jaafar will be promoted as General and appointed as the Chief of Defence Forces this Friday. He will be the first flag officer to be appointed as CDF without heading either one of the three services, multiple sources told Malaysian Defence.
Nizam replaces General Mohammad Ab Rahman, 61, who is retiring from service. This will be the second time a non-service chief is appointed as CDF. In 2018 the then UPNM vice-chancellor General Zulkifli Zainal Abidin was appointed to the post replacing the-then CDF General Raja Affandi Raja Noor. Zulkifli was the Army chief prior to his second stint as UPNM VC though. Raja Affendi replaced Zulkifli as the Army chief before he was later promoted as the CDF.
An official announcement on Nizam’s appointment is only expected this Friday. Nizam was appointed to his post at the Armed Forces headquarters on December 20, 2023. He was promoted to Lt General on November 7 2024. Prior to his appointment as AKSPA, he was the president of the National Resilience College or Puspahanas with the rank of Major General.
Among the posts he held during his 40-plus year service in the Army was the commanding officer of the 19th Royal Malay Regiment, Malbatt CO in Lebanon and the director of infantry. He also commanded the 2nd Brigade before he was made an ADC to the 14th King. Nizam is the first 19th RMR CO – 2003-2004- to become the CDF. He will be the first CDF to have graduated from Sandhurst military academy after General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin who served from 2011 to 2016. Apart from Sandhurst, Nizam also attended St Cyr military academy in France for his post-graduate study.
The appointment ceremony for the 23rd CDF is scheduled on Friday afternoon. In the morning, MAF will hold a farewell parade for the retiring CDF at the Sungei Besi Camp. The three services had conducted separate farewell parades for Mohammad, with the first by RMAF on January 23, RMN on January 24 and January 25 by the Army.
— Malaysian Defence
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Is that a Ferret I spy in the picture?
Yup 2 Armor or the Armor training centre also located in PD, got at least two for ceremonial duties.
Some of the ferrets seen operational on parades in the last 5-6 years
Z 4642 jan25
ZC 4567 nov24
Z 3927 oct24
ZD 4567 mar23
ZD 1777 mar23
Z 2401 dec22
Z 2662 dec21
Z 6577 sept 20
Not sure if ZC 4567 and ZD 4567 is the same vehicle or not.