Rapid Deployment Force (Malaysia)

The Malaysian Rapid Deployment Force (Abbr.: RDF; Malay: Pasukan Aturgerak Cepat — PAC) is a force that to can be quickly deployed during an emergency (wartime or peacetime) usually via air or light land transport. Malaysia RDF has military and non-military components.

Malaysian Rapid Deployment Force
Pasukan Aturgerak Cepat Malaysia ڤاسوكن اتورڬرق چڤت
Founded	10 October 1994; 28 years ago (1994-10-10)
Country	Malaysia
Branch	Malaysian Army Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia
Role	Military: Airborne forces, Quick reaction force Non-military: First responder, Search and rescue

History

On 10 October 1994, three Malaysian Army airborne battalions, the 8th Royal Ranger Regiment (Para), 9th Royal Malay Regiment (Para) and 17th Royal Malay Regiment (Para) were reorganised and redesignated into a single airborne force termed the 10th Parachute Brigade, also known as 10 Para.^[1]

In March 2011, the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (FRDM) established the Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia, or popularly known as STORM. The new team originally functioned as a Special Rescue Unit for incidents involving urban areas, landslides, high-building rescue, wide-area search and rescue (SAR), forest fires, flood and natural disasters.^[2] In March 2014, after flight MH370 went missing, the scope and capabilities of the STORM widened to include SAR for aircraft crashes. The team was retrained to be part of the Rapid Deployment Force.^[3]

Components

The Malaysian Rapid Deployment Force has two components. The military component was added in 1994, while the non-military component was added in 2014. The military component includes parachute capability, while the non-military components are spread across the nation and act as first responders.^[4]

Rapid Deployment Force

Main article: 10th Parachute Brigade (Malaysia)

The RDF is officially named the Rapid Deployment Forces of Malaysian Armed Forces (RDF-MAF; Malay: Pasukan Aturgerak Cepat Angkatan Tentera Malaysia — PAC-ATM).^[1] This component is a key component for the Malaysian RDF. Currently, there is only the 10th Parachute Brigade inside this component. This component is supported by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) for air transportation. Few platoons are based at the RMAF Airbase for Quick reaction force roles.^[5] The members of the RDF-MAF can be identified with its maroon 'PAC' shoulder tab on their left shoulder. PAC is the acronym for the Pasukan Aturgerak Cepat. Its members are trained as parachute forces.

Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team

The Special Tactical Operation and Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM; Malay: Pasukan Khas Operasi, Taktikal dan Penyelamat Malaysia) is the FRDM's urban search and rescue (USAR) team. It was established in 2011 to operate with the Federal Government Heavy USAR Taskforce. The SMART team initially responded to emergencies in the cities at West Malaysia. STORM's role later expanded to include aircraft crash SAR and its region of operations were widened to include East Malaysia. The STORM is the most elite unit in the FRDM. Its members are spread throughout FRDM State's Headquarters.^[6] Its members can be identified with the 'STORM' unit patch and the 'STORM' Camouflage Dress.

References

1. Mahathir Mohamad (10 October 1994). "Perasmian Taraf Operasi Pasukan Aturgerak Cepat Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (PAC - ATM)". pmo.gov.my (in Malay). Retrieved 25 July 2019.
2. Roslina Harun, Kassim Maidin, Ida Shariza Abd Razak, Mohd Syazwan Nordin (2011). "Sejarah Perkhidmatan Bomba Sebelum dan Selepas Merdeka" (PDF). bomba.gov.my (pdf) (in Malay). Retrieved 25 July 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. "Bomba Malaysia Tubuh Storm Bantu Usaha Cari MH370". Bernama (in Malay). 24 March 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
4. "30-member STORM team mobilised to find missing copter". Free Malaysia Today. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
5. Nur Wanah Kiramli (18 June 2018). "Terima Kasih Charlie". Majalah Tiga (TV Documentary) (in Malay). Retrieved 25 July 2019.
6. Kepu Sidi (13 April 2017). "Latihan mantapkan kemahiran STORM dalam menangani SAR berskala besar". Utusan Borneo (in Malay). Retrieved 25 July 2019.