Malaysia Hopes for US Arms Supply After Buying Problematic Norwegian Anti-Ship Missiles

JAKARTA - Malaysian Defense Minister (Menhan) Mohamed Khaled Nordin revealed that the United States (US) is considering a request for missile supplies to Malaysia as a solution to the problem of his country's alutsista spending from Norway.

The Malaysian defense procurement was discussed by Khaled with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Malaysia which took place on May 30-31, 2026.

"We have asked for the US's views to help find a solution to the existing problem because, as is known, there are US companies that produce the same missiles as Norway," Khaled was quoted as saying by Bernama, Monday, June 1.

Khaled also conveyed to Hegseth the problems faced by Malaysia regarding the purchase of Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missiles from Norway and asked for the US's views on the matter.

"We have asked whether the US is willing to allow the sale of these missiles to us to address the existing problem," he said.

The Norwegian government was previously reported to have revoked the export permit for the NSM missile and its launch system to Malaysia on the grounds of protecting national security.

According to the Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace US (KDA) website, the procurement of NSM was signed by the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and KDA in April 2018 with a contract value of 124 million euros to equip six new Malaysian Coastal Combat Ships (LCS).

Meanwhile, Khaled said the US also proposed sharing information related to Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) implemented by Malaysia.

In another meeting, the Malaysian Defense Minister also held a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Australia, Richard Marles, to discuss efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation between the two countries.

He said the cooperation includes the establishment of a Joint Planning Committee, expansion of information exchange, and preparations for the upcoming Malaysia-Australia High Level Committee (HLC) and Five Power Defense Agreement (FPDA) meetings.

"I congratulate Australia on the implementation of the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS 2026) and the 2026 Integrated Investment Program (IIP 2026) as an important step in strengthening its defense capabilities and readiness," he said.