SHAH ALAM: Barely two months after it was stood up, the 8th Royal Artillery Regiment (ad-hoc) has already conducted its first stable (inspection) parade on Nov. 17 at its new headquarters at the Kem Penrissen Lama, Kuching, Sarawak. The unit was stood up on Sept. 8 with 14 officers and men at the Kem Sungei Besi.
For the parade, 8th RAD has five officers and 114 other ranks together with a complement of Oto Melara 105mm Pack Howitzer guns and Weststar GK-M1 gun towers. As it is still an ad-hoc unit, most of the men were attached to the regiment from other units until the administration work is complete to make their transfer permanent.
Some officers and soldiers of course would returned to their old units as others are transferred to the unit. The unit will lose the ad-hoc designation once it is declared fully operational though it is unclear when will it be done. Perhaps it will take one year as with the 1st RAD.
As for the guns and vehicles, again this would be transferred from other units or the Army”s reserve stocks. The 105mm guns are likely those from the 1 RAD (Para) which had converted to the Nexter LG1 MkIII 105mm guns.
It is likely that the Army will stand up another RAD unit this time in Sabah as part of its realignment of TDM units based on the Army Strategic Capability Development Plan (Army 4NextG). It is likely that the new unit will also get hand-me-down equipment though that may have to wait for new ones to be bought first of course.
— Malaysian Defence
View Comments (63)
An additional firepower in S&S is always welcome. Even indonesia is stationing their hard hitters in kalimantan (both the KH-178 and 179) so we need to do the same to at least keep the parity
Making something out of nothing like a conjuring trick, by parceling out a clutch of existing men & equipment from currently available to setup a whole new unit. Maybe is just to justify an increased budget next year on the pretext of additional staff & equipment for the new unit.
6th Royal Artillery Regiment with 105mm pack howitzers in Lok Kawi Sabah has been for quite a long time the only permanent artillery regiment in East Malaysia. If a new regiment to stand up in Sabah, it would be for 155mm guns, or a GAPU unit?
''by parceling out a clutch of existing men & equipment from currently available to setup a whole new unit. Maybe is just to justify an increased budget next year''
Using personnel from an existing unit to form a cadre of a new unit [which can be expanded on a t a later date] is a common occurrence here and worldwide. Without resorting to this there would be no other way of raising a new unit. We did the same things with all the sub units of the new Division in Sabah and with virtually every new unit we raise. Some of the transfers are temporary; some aren't.
The trick is to transfer personnel from an existing unit in order to assist in the raising of a new unit; without having adverse affects on the existing unit.
@Gonggok
I suspect the new unit might get hand me down G5s from Peninsular based 155mm arty units which are going to transition to SPH when it eventually arrives.
Marhalim,
Now I can see what you said before if PH did not cancel those M109, TDM would have better options and flexibility to strategies their positioning. Now it's like don't have the M109 for the number required and not knowing when the government will approve funding for the new SPH. Fault of all the politicians with their own agenda...
@Ed Liew
As I said before, something is better than nothing. But the ATM brass & even some commenters here think that having nothing is the better choice which to use to defend our country.
Something is better than nothing is not right, really. However the excuse for cancelling the M109 - they were too old - was not the real reason. It was just an excuse
everyone knows that the TD was forced by PH government to save money.
they tried with the MD530 but the contract was watertight.
the only thing they could offer for the sacrifice was the M109.
"even some commenters here think that having nothing is the better choice which to use to defend our country"
Some commnentors fail to take into account that there are various long term factors which have to be considered and that the "something better than nothing" is a simplistic subjective cliche which looks great on paper but does not take into account various factors.
gonggok - the only thing they could offer for the sacrifice was the M109"
In the first place they weren't ethusiastic about it as they never even asked for it and they had already set their sights on wheeled platform. The army was fully prepared to wait a bit longer for a systen which fitted into its CONOPs and was in line with other requirements.