SHAH ALAM: The Army – Tentera Darat – will have a new chief next month. Army chief General TS Zamrose Mohd Zain today announced that he will be handing over the post to his successor this March 21. He was speaking at his farewell parade at Kem Iskandar in Mersing, Johor. Do note the Army used “appreciation parade” to describe the ceremony but it’s a farewell gig by another name.
Zamrose did not name his successor though. “Thus March 21, 2023, will be the last day of my career in the Army and the Armed Forces. On that day I will hand over the leadership of the Army to my successor and I will then retire,” he added.
Zamrose, 61, was appointed as the 28th Army chief on June 11, 2020. He was supposed to retire last year but his term was extended for one year. Zamrose was the Eastern Field Command chief when he was appointed as the Army chief in 2020. He was the second the Army chief in recent times who was appointed to the top post, leaping over the deputy chief. The other was General Zulkiple Kassim who served as the 26th Army chief. Zulkiple was appointed over the-then deputy chief, Lt Gen Hasbullah Nawawi. Hasbullah was appointed the chief on September 3 2018 when Zulkiple retired.
Malaysian Defence understands that the current Army deputy chief Lt.General DS Mohammad Ab Rahman will be appointed as the 29th Army chief. He was appointed as the deputy Army chief on December 19 2020. He succeeded Lt Jen Datuk Hasagaya Abdullah, who was made the National Defence University Malaysia vice-chancellor.
— Malaysian Defence
The only thing new in Malaysian Armed Forces is promotion after promotion due to current individual retiring while our assets still stay the same, probably until the next 100 years. If only our assets can change like this, well, we can only pray and wish.
Akmal – “If only our assets can change like this”
Not only assets but doctrine, training, organisation and other things have to evolve. Adaptation and innovation are also vital but challenging for most armies; especially peacetime resource constrained ones with no recent combat history and a clueless and indifferent political leadership.
Typical. A change of Govt and follows the changes of services heads. The new TLDM chief has already fast shown to be a line toer and team player, so will the new TDM chief be the same?
It got nothing to do with the change of government. The former RMN head will be 60 in six months’ time. He was offered an extension of one year but declined. The Army chief tenure was extended for one year last year
Marhalim – ”It got nothing to do with the change of government.”
Exactly. It was scheduled a long time ago. Why on earth would anyone come up with the notion that it has anything to do with a new government in office.
Previous Navy Chief quite vocal on a lot of issues. Hope the new chiefs across all branches will be the same.
The flurry of changes also happened during last PH rule. While yes, Gen Zamrose should have retired last year (during BN2.0 Govt), instead they extended his contract. This you don’t see under PH both times. Coincidence or intentional? Who knows….
It’s SOP, both the previous RMN and RMAF chiefs were offered one year extension but they declined. The then RMN chief had to leave as his anointed successor, the current chief, will have to retire as deputy, he is 60 this year, if the previous one accepted his extension.
Only the PAT was changed when the PH took over in May 2018. And then a new PTD took over as the previous one reached his retirement age as well. It was the same when the RMN chief reached his retirement age. RMAF leadership changed when the then chief was promoted as the PAT.
Apart from the PAT, another change was made when PH took over in 2018 and that was the DISD/MDIO or military intelligence chief. That was because there were allegations that the MI were used to help the then previous government. A claim which is laughable when one knows that the number of MI operatives could only make up two football teams.
However, if you think it’s otherwise, what can I say…