Defence minister Khaled Nordin said the ministry’s priority remained the continuity of national defence operations.

He said the armed forces were carrying out continuous operations to maintain the security of the country’s strategic waters and control its land and maritime borders with five neighbouring countries.

“The armed forces also have ongoing assignments in islands along the east coast of Sabah to address security threats from southern Philippines,” Bernama reported him as saying in Kuala Lumpur today.

Khaled stressed that any procurement decision would be made based on current operational needs as well as national security interests.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the freeze on all procurements by the defence and home ministries last week to facilitate reviews and improvement of government procurement governance.

“The defence ministry understands the government’s need for transparency and accountability, but defence preparedness cannot be compromised.

“If the freeze directly affects the armed forces’ capabilities, we will submit a specific application for the government’s consideration,” he said.