KUCHING: As Chief of Defense Forces General Tan Sri Affendi Buang wears three hats in the line of duty these days.
But he has quickly grasped the weight of the responsibility in his stride following his appointment on Jan 2, 2020.
All three branches – army, navy and air force – are now under the command of the Sarawak-born chief who headed the air force previously.
In an exclusive interview with New Sarawak Tribune and Suara Sarawak at the Penrissen Camp here on Friday, Affendi spoke of how his jurisdiction now now extends over all three branches of the armed forces – and the pressures that come with the job.
His main task, he points out matter-of-factly is to ensure the sovereignty and security of the country.
And towards this end Affendi, who will turning 60 on Aug 21, has been placing much emphasis on establishing military diplomacy with other countries.
With this, any issues or problems can be discussed in a controlled manner, he said.
“That is my job. To find more allies. We are not making enemies as we would like to avoid war at any cost.
“We are allies if we are acquainted. We can discuss any issues if there are any. Getting to know each other will minimise negative prejudice,” he said.
Having said that Affendi stressed that the nation’s armed forces are ready to face any threat.
This level of preparedness factors in today’s the era of technology which has brought about challenges that don’t just concern physical threats but also intangible ones that could endanger the nation’s sovereignty.
To ensure the sovereignty and security of the country, he said, there is a constant need for him be a few steps ahead so as to be always prepared for existing and future threats.
“We need to constantly look at our human resources and the existing machinery and the need to have competent and trained members for it.
“In addition, we need to look at other initiatives that will help us face any threat,” he said without elaborating.
All these require a huge budget and this has always been the biggest issue, he said, fully cognizant of the constraints within which he must work.
But he completely understands that the current priority of the government is to help the people cope with the various challenges of life in the aftermath of the Covod-19 pandemic and the consequent slowing down of the economy.
Hence, all the allocations given to support the nation’s armed forces are fully optimised, he said.
