KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — The next Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security Conference (Natsec) Asia are slated to be held from May 6 to 9, 2024 at the Malaysia International Trade Centre Exhibition (Mitec) here.

This was announced by Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein at the end of the 2022 edition, which ran from Monday until today.

Hishammuddin said he was happy that both events had proceeded smoothly and were globally recognised as among the top five defence and national security exhibitions in the world.

"I am very pleased to announce that the last four days we worked hard, and (judging from) the support of all friends, my fear and concern about the future of these events were unfounded.

"Both events, jointly organised, hosted and supported by Mindef (Ministry of Defence) and KDN (Home Ministry), as well as the Malaysian Armed Forces, were the biggest of their kind to be held in Malaysia in recent times,” he told a press conference here today.

Hishammuddin said the success of DSA and Natsec Asia 2022, the first and largest international event staged in Malaysia since the pandemic hit in early 2020, was a testament that Malaysia is ready to face the challenges ahead and is now truly open for business.

He said the four-day event saw the signing of contracts, Memorandums of Understanding, Letters of Agreement, Letters of Intent and joint-venture agreements worth more than RM6 billion, strengthening regional and bilateral cooperation between Asean nations and the global defence and national security industry.

"Even though it was not open to public, a total of 33,147 trade visitors were recorded as of yesterday, in addition to the 350 VIP and VVIP delegations as well as over 1,000 participating companies and more than 20 international pavilions,” he said.

Hishammuddin also said the success of DSA and Natsec Asia augured well for the organisation of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) next year.

"Whether or not we proceed with organising LIMA is very much dependent on our performance at DSA and NAT Natsec SEC Asia, and judging from the help we received from all quarters in the last four days, I am convinced that we have succeeded at DSA and Natsec Asia.

"It has placed us on a firm foundation to organise and make a success of LIMA next year, InsyaAllah (God willing),” he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Jonathan Yasin, in his closing speech, noted that the second edition of Natsec Asia had further elevated its status as the only event in the world to feature both defence and national security-related issues side by side on the same platform.

He said Malaysia has certainly led the way in providing a unified platform for the region to be heard by the rest of the world.

"It is the ministry’s solemn duty to protect and safeguard all matters related to national security in Malaysia, many of which involve cross-border issues that require bilateral cooperation,” he added. — Bernama