Defence minister Khaled Nordin said the policy is set to be launched this year once it gets the Cabinet’s nod.

“Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wants us to focus specifically on this matter, and it has become part of the ministry’s planning,” he told reporters after a breaking-fast event with Camp Paradise personnel here today.

Last Friday, Anwar called for a new synergy between the defence ministry and industry players to ensure the nation’s defence research and development ecosystem continues to progress in line with technological advancements and changes.

Khaled said the prime minister also wanted the ministry to focus specifically on defence matters, including reducing Malaysia’s reliance on foreign supply of assets and developing the nation’s own defence capabilities instead.

He said developing Malaysia’s defence capabilities was the first step to establishing an ecosystem to support a local defence industry.

“We are looking at technology transfer. In every procurement we make, we must ensure that there is a transfer of technology to the country, so that the nation can develop its own capacity to develop the industry,” he said.