Accessing Malaysia Armed Forces Logistics System in Providing Humanitarian Logistics Support

Abstract

Disasters frequently strike at any time of day or night, necessitating swift action and close coordination between various agencies. When a disaster response becomes increasingly time-consuming, the Armed Forces are frequently called in to assist. Despite the fact that disaster management is not the primary responsibility of the Armed Forces, however, the Armed Forces are frequently used as disaster response machinery because they have complete equipment, logistics, and personnel. In order to identify the logistics system available in the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), this study was carried out with a particular emphasis on integration and disaster management in the Armed Forces. A qualitative inquiry methodology was used to complete this study. A protocol for conducting interviews was developed and used as a guideline throughout the interview process. Snowball purposeful sampling was used in this study, which included 13 key informants from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. These individuals work in the logistics field and came from all three branches of the military. According to the findings of this study, there are no job specifications and specialisations in disaster management in the MAF. The systematic logistics management implemented by the MAF, on the other hand, has made it easier to coordinate assistance during disasters. In addition, the strength in terms of knowledge, skills and discipline portrayed by the MAF personnel showed a very high commitment to achieving disaster management objectives. This advantage is widely regarded as the most important factor in ensuring that disaster response is carried out effectively and efficiently.

A Systematic Literature Review on Logistics Information Needs for Sharing in Malaysian Disaster Management

“…All the sub-themes are summarized according to their explanation, which can be referred at Figure 3. Analysis of 23 related articles collected from Scopus and Web of Science databases shows that six articles published in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 focused on evacuation decision making in Malaysia [39][40][41][42][43][44], one study published in 2018 focuses on disaster management strategies [45], one study published in 2018 focuses on determination of locations for shelters and routes for disaster relief [46], one study published in 2019 focuses on mechanism of disaster management [47], two studies published in 2019 and 2020 focus on information management in disaster management [23,48], one study published in 2019 focused on communication mechanism in disaster management and success factor of humanitarian logistics [49], three studies published in 2020 and 2021 focused on humanitarian aid for disaster victims [50][51][52], two studies published in 2020 and 2021 focused on issue and challenges in disaster management [53,54], one study published in 2021 concentrated on logistics system in disaster management [54], one study published in 2022 focused on coordination in humanitarian supply chain [55], one study published in 2019 focused on issues in emergency operation and coordination center (EOCC) [56], and one study published in 2019 focused on disaster preparedness, response and recovery in disaster management [57]. Based on the observations gained from the analysis, multiple topics in disaster management are covered by previous research within the years 2018-2022.…”

“…Based on an article that, through a rigorous review sourced from the Scopus database, has mentioned multiple times the importance of information sharing in disaster logistics management [23,38,48,[54][55][56]65]. However, comprehensive empirical studies on the sharing of logistics-related information during disasters in Malaysia are woefully inadequate and flawed.…”

Humanitarian Logistics in Disaster Preparedness: A Case Study of Monsoon Relief Distribution for Pulau Redang, Terengganu

“…The direct involvement of the local community plays an essential role in ensuring a successful humanitarian logistics operation. The VDSC has information such as the number of people in their community areas and a list of residents who require special attention, such as the disabled, the elderly, infants and pregnant women, that DoSW needs to plan more accurate and sufficient logistical requirements (Halizahari et al 2021). Cooperation and assistance from local leaders are required to work together with the relevant government agencies in channelling the necessary information and assistance.…”