This statement disturbs me somewhat. So you're saying we only need to attend to the needs of the current situation and don't bother looking forward?

Don't get me wrong, I am not condoning that Malaysia change its military policies to be more aggressive. Rather, I am trying to explain that it "may" in fact happen whether it's out of necessity, pride or maybe even ignorance.

If history has taught us anything is that people change. When people change, policies change as well. That was what I was trying to explain when I mentioned US relations as well as Malaysia's relations with our neighboring countries.

Might I remind you that only a few years back it was unheard of for anyone to do or say anything that goes against BN without getting arrested under ISA and thrown in a dark room somewhere. Under Mahathir's rule, do you think that the Bersih movement would have been tolerated by the government? It's a little different now is it not? For one thing, its not called ISA anymore but I digress.

Anyways, my point is even though we currently have good standing with the country that provides our weapons, it may (and i stress "may") change in the future. In that situation, we would be forced to procure new weapons systems from an alternative supplier. When or if that happens, wouldn't it be easier to change the weapons for the aircraft rather than having to buy a new fleet of aircraft to use the new weapon systems?

Anyone know what colour the RMAF's EC-725 will be?

Will it inherit the Nuri's good old plain green or will it be the snazzy camo paint job on the AW109s?

Because the Leo 2, like many other MBTs, is too heavy.

60 ton MBT + wet & muddy rainforest soil = stucked, easy picking targets.

Obviously you are not an outdoor person. There's a reason why they call our jungle a rainforest. It's always wet/muddy.

Limiting the use of tanks in a planned road network is just plain silly. This is exactly the problem NATO is having in Afghanistan. They are so dependent on heavy firepower which limits their usage on roads and makes them highly vulnerable to mines and IEDs.

You can never completely secure a vast road network which is why you need a platform that can be effectively used off the roads as well.