Hishammuddin said the discussion was held through a telephone conversation with US defence secretary Lloyd J Austin III where it was agreed that there was still room to further strengthen cooperation.

“(The) Malaysia-US defence cooperation is now at a very strong level. Only recently, the US donated medical equipment to the Royal Health Corps worth US$3 million (RM13.8 million),” he said in a post on his Facebook page today.

Hishammuddin said that the US has contributed more than US$200 million (RM920 million) in total to bolster Malaysia’s defence capabilities.

“KD Lekir has also just returned after being given the honour to participate in #RIMPAC2022 (the Rim of the Pacific Exercise) in Hawaii,” he said.

Hishammuddin said he and Austin also took the opportunity to exchange views on security issues, including the South China Sea and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

“Before ending the conversation, I invited him to #LIMA2023 (Langkawi International Aerospace and Maritime Exhibition) next year, which will include the participation of the US Navy Blue Angels,” he said.

In a statement posted on his Twitter, Austin said they also discussed opportunities for further alignment between the US and Malaysia as the two countries pursue a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

He said they noted several significant milestones in US-Malaysia defence cooperation, including the completion of a Defence/POW-MIA (prisoners of war-missing in action) agreement in August, and the commitment to complete a new agreement to shape defence cooperation by the end of the year.

“The United States stands ready to expand cooperation with Malaysia in increasingly deep and meaningful ways that will protect its sovereignty and independence, including through support for the development of Malaysia’s capabilities and information sharing.

“They confirmed cooperation on a range of concrete and innovative defence initiatives aimed at ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.