Mindef announces four new senior Malaysian Armed Forces appointments

LocalPolitics
20 Jan 2026 • 7:38 PM MYT
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Mindef announces four senior MAF appointments, including new chief of staff and joint forces commander, effective from Jan 

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Defence has announced the appointment of four senior Malaysian Armed Forces officers.

The appointments, consented to by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim on Jan 18, follow recommendations from the 632nd Armed Forces Council meeting held on Jan 7.

Lieutenant General Datuk Seri Muhammad Huzaimi Sabri, the current chief executive of the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security, has been appointed as the new MAF Headquarters Chief of Staff.

Army Deputy Chief Lieutenant General Datuk Tengku Muhammad Fauzi Tengku Ibrahim has been appointed as Commander of the Joint Forces.

Major General Datuk Mohamad Suria Mohamad Saad has been promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as the new Deputy Commander of the Army.

Lieutenant General Datuk Zahani Zainal Abidin (RMAF) has been appointed as the new chief executive of MiDAS.

All appointments are effective from Jan 1.

In a statement, Mindef stressed that integrity, accountability and clean governance were the core pillars of MAF leadership.

“The top leadership of the MAF is not only responsible for ensuring operational readiness and effectiveness, but also entrusted with strengthening public confidence in the nation’s defence institution, without compromise,” the statement said.

It added that the new leadership line-up is believed to be capable of shouldering this responsibility with authority, integrity and professionalism.