General Tan Sri Affendi Buang
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) will set up a Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to deal with cyber threats, said its chief, General Tan Sri Affendi Buang.
He said the setting up of the command is aimed at strengthening the security forces in facing the threats of cyber security.
“We know that we are living in a world where the cyber domain is very important and to a certain extent it is critical. If we don’t have those capabilities, we couldn’t be sure we are protected.
“Threats come in many ways and we live in a world where cyber domain is one of the main threats,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Affendi said the threat of cyber-domain attacks could ravage the country as witnessed through cyber attacks such as Denial of Service, Malware and State-Sponsored Hacking.
“It is high time for ATM to face the challenge through the setting up of the command so as to ensure not only the sustainability of the ATM network but also the security of national interests in the cyber domain,” he said.
Earlier, in his inaugural address to all military personnel at Wisma Pertahanan, Affendi said he would try to improve the preparedness of ATM assets as part of his core duties as the nation’s 21st Chief of Defence Force.
He said maintaining the assets at their highest level of preparedness was vital in the effort to defend the country and responding to any possible attacks at any time.
On the integrity among the military personnel, Affendi said military misconduct would be one of the key concerns in empowering ATM personnel.
He said the culture of integrity and anti-corruption need to be inculcated among the military personnel to maintain the image, credibility and reputation of the Armed Forces and the country.
“The ATM’s Anti-Corruption Plan has also been developed and should be implemented as a solution to curb the threats of corruption,” he said.
Affendi said the aspect of education on integrity should also be given emphasis and that ATM was in the midst of developing its own Integrity Education and Training Module for use by the Malaysian Armed Forces Training Centre by the middle of this year.
He said an initiative to be transparent had also been taken by fully upgrading the online complaints system with the use of the Public Complaints Management System (SISPAA), which also aimed at improving the efficiency and management of complaints.
Also present at the ceremony were Army chief General Tan Sri Ahmad Hasbullah Mohd Nawawi, Armed Forces chief General Datuk Seri Ackbal Abdul Samad and Navy chief Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza Mohd Sany. — Bernama