KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu today said that in order to implement the revamp outlined in the defence White Paper (DWP), the ministry will need 6.5 per cent of Malaysia’s annual budget.

He said talks are underway with the Finance and the Economic Affairs Ministries to secure funding, especially under the 12th and 13th Malaysia Plans, on which the 10-year blueprint is drawn around.

"Under the 12th and 13th Malaysia Plans, the ministry has also come up with a procurement plan for assets needed to meet the goals listed in the document,” he said during a press conference after tabling the DWP.

Mohamad, however, admitted the specific budget required was not stated in the DWP as it was drafted as a general policy guideline.

Mohamad said that the DWP is more of a blueprint and due to the sensitive nature of army assets and deployment, it cannot disclose such information, including the numbers of vehicles and weapons it has.

"Of course we cannot disclose everything to the people. But we talk about it even though we have discussions with the opposition MPs. They (outsiders) will know the capacity and strength of the armed forces,” he said.