SHAH ALAM: Jen Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Nor officially assumed the post of the Chief of Defence Force today (Dec 16. 2016). He took over from retiring Jen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, who had been in charge of the Armed Forces since June 15. 2011.
Raja Affandi’s ascension to the post of CDF was announced in June. He was appointed as the Army chief on June 15, 2013.
Raja Mohamed Affandi
Army chief Jen Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed will take over as Chief of Defence Forces by year end. Raja Affandi will replace on Dec 16, Jen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin who is retiring, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein today.
Jen Zulkifeli taking the salute at his farewell parade on Thursday. MAF photo
Hishammudin said Zulkifeli would be going on his accumulated annual leave and undergo transition training from Dec 16. Zulkifeli’s application to extend his service for 12 months beyond the mandatory retirement age, from June 14, 2016, to June 13, 2017, was approved by the Armed Forces Council, he added.
He also said that the council also approved Raja Mohamed Affandi’s extension of service for 12 months beyond the mandatory retirement age, from June 20, 2017, to June 19, 2018.
The decisions on the matter were adopted at the 548th meeting of the Armed Forces Council on May 23, and the appointments and extensions of service were consented by the King.
The announcement was made six months earlier to avert any speculation, ensure a smooth transition of leadership and to enable the leaders to make the necessary preparations.
Meanwhile, Jen Zulkiple Kassim,has taken over as the Army chief, also today. He was promoted as a general prior to taking over the post.The chairman of the RMR was the Field Commander, West, prior to his promotion to the top soldier’s post. Zulkiple promoted to a four-star general shortly before he took over as the new Army chief
Zulkiple, 57, began his service in the Army on April 7, 1978, after completing his studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. Lt Gen Azizan Md Delin is now the Army Field Commander, West, replacing Zulkiple.
As no announcement has been made on the new Air Force chief, I will update this post once it is made.
SHAH ALAM: New PAT in the new year. RMAF chief Gen Affendi Buang has been promoted as the 21st Chief of Defence Force today , replacing Gen Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, who is retiring. Affendi is the first Sarawakian to achieve the highest position in the national security sector since Merdeka. […]
SHAH ALAM: Army chief Jen Raja Mohammed Affandi Raja Mohammed will take over as Chief of Defence Forces by year end. Raja Affandi will replace on Dec 16, Jen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin who is retiring, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein today. Hishammudin said Zulkifeli would be going on his […]
SHAH ALAM: At least four Hawk Mk 208s have now been deployed to the Labuan Air Base as part of the measures to boost the security of Sabah and Sarawak. RMAF chief Jen Datuk Seri Roslan Saad said they hoped to have at least eight Hawks at the airbase within […]
16 Comments
Perhaps Jen Zulkifeli can pun ink onto paper, sharing his experiences as CDF with two major incidents under his watch; Ops Daulat and MH370.
Reply
Not until both cases are settled
Nimitz,
It will take some time until all the issues surrounding ”Operation Daulat” can be released publicly.
Well, doen’t mean the writings can only start after all issues settled. It can be kept out of public until the appropriate time comes to publish. If the writing had drawn upon classified or restricted records then I believe it will be locked up and only be read by cleared researchers.
I know, its resource intensive to publish Malaysia military history book. Maybe boring for the masses, surprisingly some books are like “cucur pisang panas”, sold out in mere months. Maybe the success due to topic and how it was writeup.
Selamat meneruskan tanggungjawab sebagai peneraju Angkatan Tentera Malaysia kepada PAT baharu, di bawah naungan YDP Agong ke 15
All the best
Nimitz,
A lot of info on ”Operation Daulat” is restricted and probably will be so for a long time. Same goes with the 2nd Emergency and Confrontation; as well as Flight 653 [the cockpit recordings and the actual circumstances that led to the crash]. To be fair we are not the only ones who restrict info : a lot of info on the 1st Emergency, the Confrontation, the Falklands and even WW2 are still restricted in Britain. Whether the issue is really national security or for other reasons is anyone’s guess. With regards to ”Operation Daulat” retired people can indeed write about their involvement but much of it will already be known to the public.
What I will like to see is an official history on the 2nd Emergency and Confrontation. About 10 years ago the publishers of Asian Defence Journal, in cooperation with the army, published a book [in English] on the 2nd Emergency. It’s quite good but IMO a more detailed history is still needed. 2 books that are worth reading is ”The Little Iban Warrior” [Linus Lunsong] and ”My Adventure” [Robert Rizal]. In the 1990’s the first CO of MALBATT in Bosnia wrote ”Malaysian Tigers In Bosnia” [he was also the first 10 Para CO and army chief]. The book is interesting in that it tells of our deployment to Bosnia but it could have been better. The author [IMO] strayed a bit by writing on stuff that shouldn’t have been in the book and he could have provided a more detailed account on Bosnia.
The problem with writing such books is not how resource intensive they are but publishing costs and the matter of how many copies will be sold. Another issue is language. Books will sell better if published in BM but there is also a market for them to be published in English.
I enjoyed reading book about operation gonzalés by general Ghazali “Gary” Md Seth
Wonder where can i get all these books
And “Kanang” by Mazlan Nordin. And a book on Ferret deployment in Congo,Malaysia’s 1st UN mission. Agreed publishing cost and how many copies is a big issue.
Lee,
Sadly most are out of print but Kinokuniya KLCC might be able to order ”The Little Iban Warrior” [Linus Lunsong] and ”My Adventure” [Robert Rizal]. Linus Lunsong also wrote a book about his time in ESSCOM. I corresponded with both these men some years ago and they were very helpful in answering questions. There is a book about the 2nd Emergency which looks interesting, ”Malaysia’s Defeat of Armed Communism: The Second Emergency, 1968-1989 ” [Ong Weichong] but unfortunately its almost RM500! There is also ”Madness In Mogadishu” [Michael Whetstone]. The author commanded the Quick Reaction Force, including MALBATT, that rushed into Bakara Market.
He talks a bit about MALBATT including how a MALBATT platoon leader disobeyed orders to rescue some MALBATT and U.S. men who were trapped in a separate location and were in danger of being overrun. He had earlier requested permission but was repeatedly told to stay put. The first CO of MALBATT in Cambodia and later 4th Mechanised Brigade, wrote about his time in Cambodia. He offered to pass me a copy of his book years ago but sadly I never took him up on his offer. He related how strange it was to command a mechanised brigade without any IFVs as the KIFVs only reached it unit some time later :]
Being curious. Do we have any medical doctors working in the navy or air force?
Reply
Yes, why?
Nihd,
Some are career officers and some are short com officers who serve for only a few years. There is even a military operated hospital in Lumut.
Im currently a medical students. Just interested in alternative jobs compared to working in government hospitals.
Seems like a long shot.
Can a civilian doctor enter the armed forces?
Reply
If you are below 26 you can join via the graduate scheme or you can join via the Askar Wataniah.
Nihd,
The military hospitals accept patients from the general public and they will be the majority. However if you don’t want to take your chances with the civilian system posting you to a place you may not like, the military may be for you.
The other two military hospitals are at Wangsa Maju and Terendak, Melaka.
Q: What flak jacket does M’sia army use?
Reply
No idea
Even though I was not air force, I was asked to undergo check -up at Kinrara
Perhaps Jen Zulkifeli can pun ink onto paper, sharing his experiences as CDF with two major incidents under his watch; Ops Daulat and MH370.
Reply
Not until both cases are settled
Nimitz,
It will take some time until all the issues surrounding ”Operation Daulat” can be released publicly.
Well, doen’t mean the writings can only start after all issues settled. It can be kept out of public until the appropriate time comes to publish. If the writing had drawn upon classified or restricted records then I believe it will be locked up and only be read by cleared researchers.
I know, its resource intensive to publish Malaysia military history book. Maybe boring for the masses, surprisingly some books are like “cucur pisang panas”, sold out in mere months. Maybe the success due to topic and how it was writeup.
Selamat meneruskan tanggungjawab sebagai peneraju Angkatan Tentera Malaysia kepada PAT baharu, di bawah naungan YDP Agong ke 15
All the best
Nimitz,
A lot of info on ”Operation Daulat” is restricted and probably will be so for a long time. Same goes with the 2nd Emergency and Confrontation; as well as Flight 653 [the cockpit recordings and the actual circumstances that led to the crash]. To be fair we are not the only ones who restrict info : a lot of info on the 1st Emergency, the Confrontation, the Falklands and even WW2 are still restricted in Britain. Whether the issue is really national security or for other reasons is anyone’s guess. With regards to ”Operation Daulat” retired people can indeed write about their involvement but much of it will already be known to the public.
What I will like to see is an official history on the 2nd Emergency and Confrontation. About 10 years ago the publishers of Asian Defence Journal, in cooperation with the army, published a book [in English] on the 2nd Emergency. It’s quite good but IMO a more detailed history is still needed. 2 books that are worth reading is ”The Little Iban Warrior” [Linus Lunsong] and ”My Adventure” [Robert Rizal]. In the 1990’s the first CO of MALBATT in Bosnia wrote ”Malaysian Tigers In Bosnia” [he was also the first 10 Para CO and army chief]. The book is interesting in that it tells of our deployment to Bosnia but it could have been better. The author [IMO] strayed a bit by writing on stuff that shouldn’t have been in the book and he could have provided a more detailed account on Bosnia.
The problem with writing such books is not how resource intensive they are but publishing costs and the matter of how many copies will be sold. Another issue is language. Books will sell better if published in BM but there is also a market for them to be published in English.
I enjoyed reading book about operation gonzalés by general Ghazali “Gary” Md Seth
Wonder where can i get all these books
And “Kanang” by Mazlan Nordin. And a book on Ferret deployment in Congo,Malaysia’s 1st UN mission. Agreed publishing cost and how many copies is a big issue.
Lee,
Sadly most are out of print but Kinokuniya KLCC might be able to order ”The Little Iban Warrior” [Linus Lunsong] and ”My Adventure” [Robert Rizal]. Linus Lunsong also wrote a book about his time in ESSCOM. I corresponded with both these men some years ago and they were very helpful in answering questions. There is a book about the 2nd Emergency which looks interesting, ”Malaysia’s Defeat of Armed Communism: The Second Emergency, 1968-1989 ” [Ong Weichong] but unfortunately its almost RM500! There is also ”Madness In Mogadishu” [Michael Whetstone]. The author commanded the Quick Reaction Force, including MALBATT, that rushed into Bakara Market.
He talks a bit about MALBATT including how a MALBATT platoon leader disobeyed orders to rescue some MALBATT and U.S. men who were trapped in a separate location and were in danger of being overrun. He had earlier requested permission but was repeatedly told to stay put. The first CO of MALBATT in Cambodia and later 4th Mechanised Brigade, wrote about his time in Cambodia. He offered to pass me a copy of his book years ago but sadly I never took him up on his offer. He related how strange it was to command a mechanised brigade without any IFVs as the KIFVs only reached it unit some time later :]
Being curious. Do we have any medical doctors working in the navy or air force?
Reply
Yes, why?
Nihd,
Some are career officers and some are short com officers who serve for only a few years. There is even a military operated hospital in Lumut.
Im currently a medical students. Just interested in alternative jobs compared to working in government hospitals.
Seems like a long shot.
Can a civilian doctor enter the armed forces?
Reply
If you are below 26 you can join via the graduate scheme or you can join via the Askar Wataniah.
Nihd,
The military hospitals accept patients from the general public and they will be the majority. However if you don’t want to take your chances with the civilian system posting you to a place you may not like, the military may be for you.
The other two military hospitals are at Wangsa Maju and Terendak, Melaka.
Q: What flak jacket does M’sia army use?
Reply
No idea
Even though I was not air force, I was asked to undergo check -up at Kinrara