MAF VETERANS RETIRED BEFORE JANUARY 2013 ELIGIBLE FOR 15 PCT PENSION ADJUSTMENT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) veterans who retired before January 2013 are eligible for a 15 percent pension adjustment following the introduction of the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA).

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin explained that the SSPA’s implementation, initially announced for current civil servants, will also cover MAF personnel, including veterans.

“This means that MAF veterans who retired before January 2013 will receive the first phase of their pension adjustment in December 2024, based on a final salary equivalent to 2012 levels—an increase of eight percent.

“Once the 2024 SSPA salary is implemented, pension adjustments will follow the pension formula in the Armed Forces Permanent Regulations 1982.

“A second seven percent adjustment will follow in early 2026, bringing the total pension increase to 15 percent,” he said during the Ministry’s debate on the Supply Bill 2025 at the policy stage in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Regarding the acquisition of Kuwait's F/A-18 Legacy Hornet fighter jets for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), Mohamed Khaled explained that it is intended as an interim solution while the government considers new asset procurement.

“This gap-filler approach eliminates the long wait associated with ordering new assets, especially as RMAF is phasing out older and obsolete aircraft that have become uneconomical to operate.

"If we were to place an order for new aircraft, it could take up to 10 years to receive the first delivery," he said.

He also noted that these jets will enhance RMAF’s readiness, as they are 90 percent compatible with RMAF’s existing Hornets, enabling them to be operated with minimal additional training and configuration.

Overall, he said, the Kuwait F/A-18 Legacy Hornets are in excellent condition, with a 90 percent serviceability rate, and RMAF’s technical team has found that they have significantly lower flight hours compared to RMAF’s Hornets.

"The Kuwait Air Force maintains a stock of up to 10,000 spare parts and has confirmed that nearly all critical parts needed by the RMAF are available. If we successfully acquire the F/A-18 Legacy Hornet aircraft, we expect to operate them until 2035," he stated.

Mohamed Khaled added that acquiring used assets from other countries is common in defence practices and poses no unusual risks.

He highlighted that Indonesia, Thailand, and Croatia have similarly purchased used assets from countries like Qatar, the United States, and France.

-- BERNAMA