KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has received approximately US$230mil (RM1bil) worth of security assistance from the US government, says US Army Pacific commanding general Charles Flynn.

       Gen Flynn said the funds allocated since 2018 until now also comprised provision of equipment, education, training and other exchange programmes.

       “To this end, during the financial year of 2018 to this year, the United States has approved nearly RM1bil worth of security assistance.

       “We are looking forward to this year’s Malaysian-US strategic talks, which promises further development of our bilateral relationship,” he told the local media at the US Pavilion during the Defence Services Asia exhibition at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MiTEC) yesterday.

       Gen Flynn said the militaries of different countries in the region had been excited about returning to full-scale military exercises after more Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.

       Despite the pandemic, army leaders and soldiers had found ways to undergo military training, he added.

       “Everybody is ‘thirsty’ to get beyond the protocol of Covid-19 so that we can go back to pre-Covid-19 types of training.

       “Given the fact that it hadn’t happened in two years at the scale we usually did, there will be a lot of relearning,” he added.

       On the issue of the South China Sea, Gen Flynn said it was important for regional leaders to get together to express and understand the challenges.

       “It’s very hopeful (for the region) to have a multilateral approach and the collective security that we seek, which will allow for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

       “Training exercises like Bersama Warrior and the ability to get regional leaders together, expressing and understanding the challenges faced on a personal level would be a great counterweight to any adversarial actions,” he added.

       Bersama Warrior is an annual bilateral joint exercise sponsored by the US Indo-Pacific Command and hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces.

       The four-day defence industry event is expected to see around 25,000 visitors from more than 50 countries.

       The event, which was last held in 2018, made its comeback after a hiatus in its 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic.