The defence minister explained that the MoU is legally non-binding and has been under negotiation since 2020.

He said the defence cooperation instrument, signed by the defence ministry with the US department of war on Oct 30, on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus, is an MoU, not an agreement as previously suggested.

“The defence cooperation MoU focuses on bilateral activities between Malaysia and the United States, covering capability and capacity development, military training and exercises, defence science, technology and industry, as well as other areas mutually agreed upon through the Malaysia-US Strategic Talk (MUSST), which has been conducted since 2008.

“The signing of defence cooperation MoUs with partner countries is a form of defence diplomacy, as outlined in the Third Pillar of the Defence White Paper (DWP) launched in 2019 during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure as the seventh prime minister,” he said in a statement today.

Khaled added that Malaysia has also signed defence cooperation MoUs with other countries, including China in 2016, Japan (2018), Laos (2019), Indonesia (2022), Vietnam (2023), and most recently the United Arab Emirates on Dec 11.

“The signing of defence cooperation MoUs with these countries, including the US, is consistent with Malaysia’s neutral and non-aligned foreign policy and supports the country’s commitment to the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (Zopfan) declaration signed by Asean member states in 1971.

“The defence ministry appreciates Mahathir’s concern on this matter and emphasises that the signing of the defence cooperation MoU with the US is in the national interest, aimed at ensuring Malaysia remains safe, sovereign and prosperous,” he added.

On Thursday, Mahathir issued a statement on the Defence Cooperation Agreement between Malaysia and the US, claiming that the government had not made the full MoU public.