SERDANG: The Armed Forces continues to face a shortfall in its reserve strength, with only about 34,000 reservists compared to 121,000 regular personnel — far from the targeted one-to-one ratio.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the gap must be urgently addressed, calling on more university graduates, particularly those commissioned as reserve officer (Palapes) cadets, to serve in the reserves after graduation.
“We have about 121,000 regular personnel but only 34,000 reservists. Ideally, the ratio should be one-to-one,” he said during his executive lecture to Palapes cadets at Dewan Besar, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
He added that safeguarding the nation should not be seen as the sole responsibility of the Armed Forces, but as a whole-of-nation effort requiring the participation of all layers of society.
A total of 1,927 Palapes cadets from 20 public universities nationwide attended the event today.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
