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LIEUTENANT General Tengku Muhammad Fauzi Tengku Ibrahim has assumed command as Chief of Joint Forces, replacing Lieutenant General Zahani Zainal Abidin, who has been appointed Chief Executive of the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security (MiDAS).
Both appointments took effect on January 1, with the handover ceremony held at Wisma Pertahanan, the headquarters of the Defence Ministry.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Joint Forces Headquarters said the appointments were made in accordance with recommendations from the 632nd meeting of the Armed Forces Council, which convened on January 7, and subsequently received the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim on January 18.
The statement said Tengku Muhammad Fauzi has taken over leadership of the Joint Forces Command, which is responsible for coordinating domestic and international operations and exercises involving all three services of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
“The entire Joint Forces community records its highest appreciation and gratitude to Lieutenant General Datuk Zahani for his service as the 15th Chief of Joint Forces and extends its highest congratulations to Lieutenant General Datuk Tengku Muhammad Fauzi on his appointment as Chief of Joint Forces,” it said.
The ceremony was witnessed by the Chief of Defence Force, General Datuk Malek Razak Sulaiman, and attended by the service chiefs and senior officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Tengku Muhammad Fauzi, 56, began his military career in 1988 when he joined the Royal Military College before undergoing officer cadet training at the Officer Cadet School, Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute. He was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Malay Regiment on June 6, 1990.
Over nearly four decades of service, he has held a series of key command and staff appointments, including Commanding Officer of the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, Commander of the 10th Brigade (Parachute), Commander of the 3rd Division, Commander of Army Training and Doctrine, Commander of the Army Western Field Command and Deputy Chief of the Army.
He also brings extensive experience in international peacekeeping and multinational military cooperation, having served in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a NATO mission and participated actively in various joint exercises with foreign armed forces. - February 6, 2026