Army Must Boldly Move Forward, Make AI Core of Transformation – Army Chief

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Army (TDM) must boldly move forward by making artificial intelligence (AI) the core of organisational transformation to ensure that the force remains relevant in the era of modern warfare.

Army Chief Gen Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan said the ability to innovate is now the key to the strength of any military force, hence AI must be fully harnessed to enhance operational efficiency and national defence capabilities.

“AI is not just a tool that makes tasks easier, but a catalyst for increasing efficiency, conserving resources and saving lives. TDM must be agile, adaptive and knowledge-driven to face today's security challenges,” he said when speaking at the 2024 Army Innovation Awards ceremony here tonight.

However, at the same time, Muhammad Hafizuddeain reminded that technology is merely a tool, while humans are the real drivers for innovation in national defence.

The focus of TDM's future development, he said, encompasses four main aspects: the development of data-driven doctrine and training; inspection and evaluation systems; asset management and predictive maintenance; and operational decision support through smart analytics.

“We must produce Army personnel who are not just users of technology but creators of solution. With innovation, knowledge and loyalty, TDM will become a smart, high-tech force not only in defending the homeland, but the future of the country,” he said.

In addition, he said the emphasis on technology development and AI must be incorporated in the Future Force Action Plan (Land Domain) to ensure that the Army does not fall behind in the global technological revolution.

Meanwhile, the Army Public Relations Cell announced in a statement today that TDM achieved a proud milestone by winning seven out of 14 innovation projects at the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) level as well as four championships at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) level.

“More impressively, Lieutenant (PKW) Mohamad Hanafi Salam of TDM, who represented the MINDEF innovation team, managed to win one gold and one silver medal through the Free Energy Water Pump (FEWP 2.0) project at the Indonesia Inventors Day (IID) 2025 held from Sept 11 to 14.

“Following that, Mohamad Hanafi was awarded the TDM Promising Innovator (or Inovator Harapan) in recognition of his great contribution to the development of the FEWP 2.0 project, which is an environmentally friendly and efficient water pump innovation that is operable without electricity, making a major impact on field operations and humanitarian applications,” said the statement.

-- BERNAMA