Malaysia's first unmanned surveillance aircraft is expected to roll out next year to protect the country's waters and airspace from any threats, Chief of Defense Forces Admiral Mohammad Anwar Mohammad Nour said here Thursday. Bernama news agency quoted Anwar as saying that several of these aircraft, which could perform 24-hour surveillance, were being manufactured by a consortium of three local companies, Composite Technology Resource Malaysia (CTRM). "CTRM is now performing trials on this UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). We plan to buy a few of these vehicles to protect the country from pirates and other non-traditional threats and as part and parcel of our national defense system," he told Bernama in an interview. Anwar is in the United States for a one-week visit at the invitation of his American counterpart, US Joint Chief of Staff General Peter Pace. He is accompanied by his wife, Siti Hapsah Omar. He began his tour with a visit to the Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on Monday where he observed the American UAV, the Predator, in flight and a demonstration of fighter jets. There are at least 10 American UAVs being utilized in Afghanistan and Iraq. Anwar laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington Cemetery just outside Washington Thursday morning, attended by Gen Pace, followed by discussions with Pace and Undersecretary of Defense for Policies, Ambassador Eric Edelman. Anwar said the discussions centered on military-to-military cooperation and collaboration in bilateral exercises, including the future of Special Forces exercises; joint efforts in the war on terror, particularly sharing of information on militant groups and terrorist groups in the region; and how the US could contribute to capacity building, and interdiction. While in the United States, he was invited to address the Class of 2007 on "Advancing Maritime Cooperation -- the Malaysian Perspective" at his alma mater, the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. The admiral studied strategy, policy and operations at that college 25 years ago. The Malaysian entourage was then flown to Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the infantry training centre, to take a closer look at the US approach in training the 21st century soldier -- multi-skilled, highly competent, and ready to be deployed for war. "We can learn some of these best practices, in particular the transformation process into the 21st century military. Of course, all those best practices will be studied before we adopt them in the Malaysian military," he said.
