KAJANG, Oct 23 — The local defence industry should broaden its horizon beyond products and services to the Malaysian government, said Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu.
In this regard, he said industry players should aim to become global or at least, regional exporters, as well as manufacturers of dual use products for the commercial market.
“The defence industry has great potential to be an economic generator for a country, considering its vast scope encompassing aerospace, maritime and armaments.
“This would create ample employment opportunities aside from bringing in more industry expertise,” he said while opening the ‘Business Matching Day 2019’ programme at the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE) here today.
He said the ministry welcomed the involvement of industry players in innovation project development.
Meanwhile Mohamad said there must be firm support and cooperation between innovators and defence industry players in order to meet consumer demand.
“As a country, we need to find a suitable formula in building a robust defence industry, which must also be based on technological advancement and evolution,” he said.
He said research and development would not be effective if the use of technology is limited and does not match consumer and market demand. — Bernama
