I am a freelance defence journalist and part-time lecturer at the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College and would like to comment on Yap Chin Kwee's assessment of Singapore's military capability in his article 'Tunku and Mahathir: Friend or Foe' (June 24).

Perhaps his assessment that Singapore has no credible military forces may have been true in the 1960s and 1970s but not so today. The fact is the Republic of Singapore has one of the most credible military forces in the region and its capabilities far outstrip the Malaysian Armed Forces.

I might also point out that Singapore's indigenous defence industries make it far more self-sufficient and self-reliant in the modern context of warfare in contrast to Malaysia whose defence industries are still limited.

As for no large military forces, the fact is that Singapore, after mobilising their reserves, can put into the field a larger number of soldiers than Malaysia can. It is laughable to think that Malaysia is actually a stronger military power as Mr Yap indirectly implies.

In my frank assessment and this is concurred privately by a number of Malaysian military officers, serving and retired, the current capabilities and state of the Malaysian Armed Forces is not even adequate to defend the country.

And to talk about America being haunted by a Vietnam syndrome is also out of date - the 1991 Gulf War exorcised that issue and the real fact is that what America does not want to commit to are military operations which involve low intensity conflict or peacekeeping such as Somalia and the Balkans. The United States has no problem committing itself to conventional military conflict where it can use its technology and firepower to win at minimum cost.

I would also point out that the assessment of Americans not willing to fight has been a mistake made by many throughout history, the most striking example being Japan in World War II, who thought that the United States would not fight a long war and would seek an armistice if its military capabilities were crippled.