KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry is in the midst of completing a policy paper to strengthen the country’s defence industry and explore new areas in defence, including cybersecurity, says its Deputy Minister Adly Zahari.

       This is because the country’s defence industry is largely involved in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) rather than manufacturing.

       “We want the existing local expertise in the industries to sustain and be more competitive in the future,” he told the Dewan Negara in reply to Senator Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai who wanted to know about the government’s efforts to boost the defence industry.

       Apart from that, Adly said the ministry is also working on improving existing memoranda of understanding for the procurement of national defence assets, Bernama reported.