
SHAH ALAM: The US through it Indo-Pacific Command (US IndoPacom) is funding the expansion of the MMEA headquarters in Kuching, Sarawak, the Tun Abang Salahuddin Complex or Komtas, located at Muara Tebas. The complex is located some 30km – by road – north of Kuching.
Komtas was officially opened in 2013 by the then Sarawak governor Tun Abang Salahuddin Barieng. According to a Bernama report then, the 21.1 ha complex costs RM320 million, it has an administrative complex, family quarters, barracks, sport facilities and jetty. The complex was originally built for the Marine police but was handed over to the MMEA on March 2, 2012 as the government had decided then that it will be the sole agency to oversee the maritime sector. The order was rescinded by mid-2014 following the Lahad Datu incursion.
Little of the expansion project or its funding were revealed apart from the ribbon cutting ceremony which was conducted on January 24. The ceremony was conducted by MMEA Development Director First Admiral Zulinda Ramly and Colonel Michael R. Lupient, South-East Asia Director of the Joint Interagency Task Force West (JITFW).
What is JITFW? From its website
About Joint Interagency Task Force West
Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West) is the U.S. Indo-Pacific Commandโs (USINDOPACOM) Supported Commander for Department of Defense (DoD) support to law enforcement for Counter Drug (CD) and drug-related mission. The JIATF West team is made up of approximately 100 professionals comprised of active duty and reserve military, DoD civilians, contractors, and U.S. Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) liaison officers.Mission
Joint Interagency Task Force West, together with U.S. law enforcement, the interagency, and partner nations, leverages all-domain capabilities to identify and target illicit drug trafficking, enabling interdiction and apprehension to reduce the flow of drugs, degrade and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and transnational criminal organizations; reduce the risk to American lives and U.S. interests; and reduce threats to a free and open Indo-Pacific.Strategic End State
Organizations that threaten the U.S., its territories, and its interests are denied the ability to traffic illicit drugs and precursor chemicals used to produce illicit drugs in the USINDOPACOM AOR; the environment is less permissive for their activities; and regional partnerships and stability are enhanced.What We Do
We bring military and law enforcement capabilities together to combat drug-related transnational crime in the Indo-Pacific Region.
I am assuming that the expansion may result in a bigger jetty for the complex which can currently berthed the Bagan Datuk-class NGPC and smaller MMEA vessels. Komtas has a small jetty – I believe – as it was originally designed for the Marine police. A bigger jetty will allow the donated the US Coast cutter and KM Tun Fatimah to berth at the jetty once it is completed.
Tun Fatimah as reported previously is berthed at the Sarawak port some 25km down the river from Muara Tebas.
The release from MMEA.
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐๐ก๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก (๐๐๐) ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ/๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ
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๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ก๐, ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ โ Majlis Penutupan Kursus Engineering Logistic Administration (ELA) Siri 1/2025 serta Majlis Perasmian Pecah Tanah Projek Kompleks Tun Abang Salahuddin (KOMTAS) Fasa 1 telah diadakan pada 24 Januari bertempat di Bilik Perhimpunan, Ibu Pejabat Maritim Negeri Sarawak.
Kursus Engineering Logistic Administration (ELA) Siri 1/2025, yang dianjurkan dengan kerjasama di antara Maritim Malaysia, โUS Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairsโ (INL) dan Kedutaan Amerika Syarikat, Kuala Lumpur itu adalah bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kecekapan dan kemahiran dalam pengurusan logistik serta kejuruteraan dalam kalangan peserta.
Seramai 24 individu berjaya menamatkan kursus ini selepas menjalani kursus selama 10 hari iaitu dari 13 Januari hingga 24 Januari.
Majlis penutupan kursus ini telah disempurnakan oleh Pengarah Maritim Negeri Sarawak, Laksamana Pertama Maritim Haji Kamal Ariffin bin Jusoh.
Dalam ucapan, Kamal Ariffin berkata kecekapan logistik dalam menyokong operasi organisasi yang lebih efektif adalah penting terutamanya dalam sektor keselamatan dan pengurusan bencana.
Dalam pada itu, Majlis Perasmian Pecah Tanah Projek KOMTAS Fasa 1 turut diadakan yang dirasmikan oleh Pengarah Pembangunan, Laksamana Pertama Maritim Zulinda binti Haji Ramly dan Kolonel Michael R. Lupient, Pengarah Wilayah Asia Tenggara โJoint Interagency Task Force Westโ (JITFW).
Dalam ucapan, Laksamana Pertama Maritim Zulinda menekankan bahawa Projek KOMTAS Fasa 1 itu adalah sebahagian daripada usaha strategik untuk memperkukuhkan operasi dalam menghadapi cabaran semasa dan akan datang.
Majlis diakhiri dengan sesi lawatan tapak oleh para tetamu kehormat, di mana mereka diberi penerangan mengenai pelaksanaan projek.
— Malaysian Defence
Thank you as usual to USA for funding malaysian security capabilities
A longer jetty would have the capability of more ships at the base, although ideally most MMEA ships should be out patrolling rather than tied alogside at the base.
About the new Kuching airport. What would happen to the old airport? Redevelopment? If so then the TUDM base needs to be closed too. If it is not, then the current airport could become a dedicated military airbase.
Wonder why this counter drug TF decided to invest in MMEA Kuching? Its far from Golden Triangle btw, and too far south from China the main supplier of precursors of fentanyl the USA.
I think they will fund new offices, accomodations, warehouses,C3i modules not a new big jetty.