Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Graduate Appointed as Malaysia’s 23rd Chief of Defence Forces

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Lieutenant General Datuk Mohd Nizam Jaffar, formerly the Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel Services (AKS PA) at the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) Headquarters, has been appointed as the 23rd Chief of Defence Forces (Panglima ATM), effective today.

The official handover ceremony was officiated by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin at Wisma Pertahanan.

The 59-year-old Johor Bahru native, a graduate of the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, succeeds General Tan Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman, who officially retires today.

Prior to assuming his new role, Mohd Nizam, who previously served as the Commander of the Malaysian Battalion in Lebanon (MALBATT), was promoted to the rank of four-star General during the ceremony, allowing him to take up the position of Chief of Defence Forces.

He was previously promoted to Lieutenant General on February 23 last year and has held several key positions, including Commandant of the National Defence College, Director of Training Management at the Army Training and Doctrine Command Headquarters, and Commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade.

As a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Mohd Nizam has attended numerous international military courses.

Among them are the Junior Command and Staff College in Bangladesh, the Mid-Career Management Course in Pakistan, the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in the United States, and Le Collège Interarmées de Défense in France.

Notably, he made history as the first senior Malaysian Army officer selected to attend the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) Peace Support Operations Contingent Commander Course in Monterey, United States.

The 23rd Chief of Defence Forces has also held various key positions within the Malaysian Armed Forces, including Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Army Chief and Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Defence Forces from 1990 to 1992.

He began his military career as a Platoon Leader in the 19th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment (Mechanized).

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA