2014

Amerika Syarikat, Malaysia Ikrar Kerjasama Keselamatan, Perdagangan

AS positif komitmen Malaysia tentang WMD
mh370

2015

Malaysia dan Amerika Syarikat tandatangani dokumen pengecualian visa

2016

US and Malaysia discussing deal to repatriate Malaysian detainee from Guantanamo

 The panic and chaotic response of Malaysia and the international community to the disappearance
of flight MH370 highlighted the need for increased security collaboration in addressing immediate
issues. Bilateral cooperation was essential in determining the path of the plane; through Malaysian
military sources, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and British Inmarsat, the world was able
to compile an inexplicable flight trajectory. Further collaboration between the United States and
Malaysia included utilizing FBI intelligence to conduct background checks on passengers and the
provision of technical advisors, ships, and aircraft to help locate debris. Though futile, major officials
of both countries asserted that the level of international collaboration needed to facilitate an
effective search for the doomed flight was a strong base for improving already strong bilateral
security relations, and potentially points to increased intelligence sharing programs between
militaries during times of crisis.

The United States and Malaysia have a substantial history of long-term military cooperation in
pursuit of shared interests in defense and maritime security, built on shared standards and interests
in the region. Malaysia recently supported the Proliferation Security Initiative sponsored by the U.S.,
increased restrictions and oversight on nuclear materials within the nation, was the first country to
complete the U.S. State Departments Office of the Global Peace Operations Initiative, and hosts the
Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counterterrorism (SEARCCT). The two nations routinely engaged
in the joint Cooperation Afloat Readiness Training (CARAT) exercises at least twice a year, and even
sent personnel to Afghanistan to support reconstruction in the region, acting as one of the few
majority-Muslim nations to show solidarity with the U.S. rebuilding efforts despite widespread
opposition to the Iraq War. Exchanges and collaboration between military forces are common, with
many Malaysian officers studying through jointly funded International Military Education and
Training (IMET) programs and participating over seventy-five bilateral training activities each year.

Increasing shared resources is yet another arm of military relations. Though in September of
last year there was clear confusion over whether or not U.S. ships and surveillance craft would have
use of a military facility in East Malaysia, which would enable the United States to monitor the
disputed James Shoal, the offer of a military facility in exchange for intelligence, was a practical one,
despite a perhaps premature announcement that resulted in its subsequent withdrawal. This offer,
however, still exists: though withdrawn to prevent a potential upset in the relatively and delicately
peaceful South China Sea, recent Chinese display of naval authority and firepower in the area could
indicate an escalation in the region that may result in Malaysia calling for U.S. support and
surveillance in the area. Whether or not the deal occurs, the fact remains that in this regard,
Malaysia and the United States are creating precautions for an encroaching China. The possibility of
trading U.S. Patrol intelligence for sharing a base in the area is a small price to pay, and grander
offers may even come about, such as the potential stationing of the USS Poseidon in the disputed
area to act as a maritime patrol, curbing Chinese advancement and increasing trust and reliance
between the United States and Malaysia.

Malaysia holds the role as a vocal moderate Islamic partner with the United States in
addressing terrorist activities. Malaysia, though not a home of a permanent terrorist base, has long
been a hub for the planning of terrorist activities. Malaysian cities act as a conduit where most
attacks are crafted in principle, demonstrating the need for Malaysian cooperation with the United
States in identifying terrorist threats and crafting counterterrorist measures within the Asian
hemisphere and displaying a unified front against a shared extremist threat. Malaysia has
implemented some of the most arguably stringent anti-extremism counterterrorist policies in the
world by recommendation of SEARCCT in conjunction with the heightening of similar U.S. measures,
creating opportunities for increased collaboration between the two nations, especially regarding the
tracking of financial flows in the region. This shared emphasis on combatting radical extremism and
terrorism, Malaysias role as an Islamic nation, along with the ability of the United States to increase
the capacity of Malaysia to combat terrorist activity through aid and intelligence collaboration, has
provided a fertile ground for security relations to grow, especially with a rising threat of the Islamic
State.

In terms of guns and soldiers, Malaysia and the United States have made a solid marriage of
security convenience two address the growing strength of shared adversaries, potentially through
future partnerships based off Malaysias strategic location in Asia and fueled by the coffers and
technology of the United States.