Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited Malaysia on Aug. 10–11, 2022 where he met with Malaysian Senior Minister for Defence Dato' Seri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein and senior Malaysian military leaders, and also delivered a keynote address at the National Resilience College.
In his keynote address, Adm. Aquilino underscored Malaysia’s importance to the United States as a partner and the U.S. commitment to Malaysia and the region. The United States conducts 11 bilateral and five multilateral exercises with Malaysia, most of which occur annually. Since fall 2021, the United States and Malaysia have completed the following military exercises: Maritime Training Activity- Malaysia, Keris Strike, Bersama Warrior and the recently concluded RIMPAC exercise in the vicinity of Hawaii. These exercises enhance mutual defense readiness and increase bilateral interoperability, further building on the close security partnership between the United States and Malaysia.
Over the past 65 years, the United States and Malaysia have built a strong comprehensive partnership rooted in close people-to-people, economic and security ties. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command promotes priorities shared by both countries, including prosperity, security and stability. The U.S. military partners closely with the Malaysian Armed Forces to support its efforts to increase capabilities, including maritime security capabilities.