ATM Recruits Computer Hackers to Face Digital 'War'

The Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) will recruit computer hackers as new military assets formed to strengthen the country's defense system in line with efforts to develop its future force. Defense Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the unit will focus on non-traditional threats such as cyberattacks, digital threats, and electromagnetic defense.

He mentioned that this approach is becoming the norm for the military in the recruitment process of new members. Furthermore, many analysts predict that future battles or power struggles will involve more sophisticated technology such as unmanned drones and digitally controlled assets

"All of this forms the basis for us to seriously consider the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, and digitalization within the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) and the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM)," he said.

"One day we will recruit skilled and talented military personnel who can become hackers and the like. They will have their own uniforms, teams, and so forth."

"The wars of the future will be fought through systems alone. That's why we need to study so that we don't fall behind because other countries, especially Singapore, have made this the fourth pillar in their military service system," he said.

He made these remarks at a press conference after officiating the Kick-Off Launch of the Mid-Term Review of the Defense White Paper here today.

Also present were Chief of the Armed Forces, General Tan Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman, and Deputy Defense Minister, Adly Zahari.

Further elaborating, he said, the goal of establishing such a team could also strengthen the control and monitoring system in the country's waters and borders against any smuggling threats.

"We have neighboring countries and we need to monitor drones entering. We understand now that smugglers are using drones; they want to know where our security forces are, where our operations are, our personnel, so they won't land in those areas.

"That's why they can still land (smuggle) because they (monitor) using drones. So how can we disable their drones so that our actions are more effective," he said.

Earlier in his speech at the event, Mohamed Khaled emphasized the importance of readiness in response to a hacking incident and file theft from the Pentagon, United States (US), dubbed a 'major incident' last quarter of last year, affecting up to 600,000 emails and impacting over 2,500 government organizations.

"Moreover, just last month, another similar incident was reported involving data related to the US military. Such incidents are not new. In fact, they will continue to occur," he said.

In the meantime, he said, the preparation and development of the Future Force must be a major goal underlying the Defense White Paper and the policies or strategic plans that support it.

However, he said, the interpretation of the Future Force must be understood in a broader and more strategic way, where it does not automatically refer only to increasing the number of personnel or acquiring more assets.

"Hacking and cyberattacks resulting from operations or activities called 'hacktivists' are something that poses a significant risk to the security and defense of a country.

"Moreover, it can cripple economic activities, government administration travel, medical systems, transportation, and many other serious impacts," he said. - Berita Harian

For more information, visit our website vulsanx.com or email us at [email protected]