KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 (Bernama) -- Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPHM) is ready to produce more graduates with specialised expertise to meet the manpower needs of the Cyber Force if it is realised as a new domain of national defence.
Its vice-chancellor, Lt Gen Datuk Arman Rumaizi Ahmad, said that this commitment aligns with today’s landscape of modern warfare threats, which are no longer solely focused on physical combat but are driven by cyberattacks and artificial intelligence (AI).
"To face cyber warfare, which is a new threat to national defence, we must be prepared from now by developing our own teams and shields," he said after officiating the 18th International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences (ICHISS 2026) here today.
He said that to tackle the challenges of the fourth domain effectively, the country needs to adopt the 'Triple Helix' strategic approach, which combines the expertise of academic institutions, defence industry players and the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).
"If this element can be synergised well, it will strengthen our defence capabilities in facing any uncertainties of threats in the future," he said.
Arman Rumaizi said that as an institution that produces human capital, UPNM will ensure that its students are not only equipped with academic qualifications related to cyber skills but also possess high character and resilience.
Previously, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was reported to have said that his ministry is in the process of drafting efforts to develop a Cyber Team as the fourth service or team in the MAF to address the threats of modern and cognitive warfare.
Mohamed Khaled said that the measure was taken considering that the current threat is no longer limited to traditional physical combat alone, but has begun to shift towards cyber space dominance and public perception.
-- BERNAMA