KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Newly-minted Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said that the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) scandal will be deliberated soon.

"Let me sit in the office first, before making any move so that we can examine the matter,” he said after clocking in for the first time this afternoon at the Defence Ministry headquarters here today.

Separately, he also pledged to continue the effort of making the Defence White Paper the guidelines for the country’s defence for the next decade.

"The army has received approval from the Parliament regarding the National Defence White Paper and has taken strategic steps to empower the Armed Forces in all three services; land, sea and air.

"So I will continue what the ministry is doing, and we will try our best to add value to what needs to be strengthened again,” he added.

On December 2 last year, the white paper was presented and approved in the Dewan Rakyat. It sets out the strategic direction of national defence for a period of 10 years to protect Malaysia’s interests and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

The white paper involving eight main messages was presented to renew the National Defence Policy (DPN) so that its strategy and capabilities are in line with and relevant to changes in the global security environment.