The Territorial Army Regiment of Malaysia (, Jawi: ) serves as the reserve component of the Malaysian Army. Commonly referred to as the Territorial Army Regiment (), it is the largest military reserve force in Malaysia. The formation comprises a variety of units, including infantry regiments, armoured squadrons, engineering squadrons, and other support elements.

The Territorial Army forms one of the three principal components of the Malaysian Armed Forces Reserve, alongside the Royal Malaysian Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Malaysian Air Force Volunteer Reserve.

As of the current command structure, the Territorial Army is led by Major General Dato' Mohammad Razeif Che Ahmad, who holds the appointment of Assistant Commander of the Reserve Force (), reporting directly to the Chief of Defence Forces, who concurrently serves as the Commander of the Reserve Force ().

Etymology The official Malay name of the formation is Askar Wataniah Malaysia, while its official English designation is the Territorial Army of Malaysia. The lineage of this name dates back to 1958, following the enactment of the Territorial Army Ordinance 1958, under which the force was formally established as the Askar Wataniah Malaya (Territorial Army of Malaya). The name was inspired by resistance groups that had operated during the Second World War, notably the Askar Melayu Setia and the Wataniah Pahang.

According to Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, both "askar" and "wataniah" are loanwords of Arabic origin. The word "Askar" () translates to "military" or "soldier", while "Watan" () means "homeland". The suffix -iah is an Arabic-derived noun-forming element used in Malay to indicate abstract concepts or affiliations. Thus, Wataniah can be interpreted as "related to the homeland". In modern Arabic usage, as cited in A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (1976) by Hans Wehr, "Wataniah" denotes "patriotism" or "love for the homeland".

In colloquial Malaysian usage, the formation is often referred to as the Territorial Army Regiment (), although this is somewhat misleading. The term is more appropriately applied to the 500-series Reserve Regiments, which form the core infantry component of the Territorial Army. In reality, the Territorial Army consists of a broad array of units, including infantry regiments, armoured squadrons, engineer squadrons, and other combat and support elements.

History

Origins: Volunteer militia units in British Malaya The modern history of military reserve forces in Malaya began in 1854 with the establishment of the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps in the Straits Settlements territory of Singapore. The outbreak of the Crimean War in 1853 stirred patriotic sentiment among the European expatriate community in Malaya, prompting the formation of local militia units. This sentiment soon spread to other territories within the Straits Settlements, leading to the creation of similar units in Penang, Province Wellesley, Malacca, and Labuan. Among these were the Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps, established on 1 March 1861, and the Malacca Volunteer Corps, formed in 1922. Similar movements later took root in the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States, where militia units began to be formed from 1902 onwards.

By 1924, the militia units of the Straits Settlements were brought under centralised control as part of the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (SSVF). The SSVF was incorporated into the British military structure and placed under the command of the Malayan Command. Similarly, the militia units in the Federated and Unfederated Malay States were organised under the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force (FMSVF) and the Unfederated Malay States Volunteer Force (UMSVF), respectively. These formations fought alongside regular Commonwealth forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War but were subsequently disbanded following the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Local guerrilla resistance forces During the Japanese occupation of Malaya, anti-Japanese resistance began to take shape. Motivated in part by the nationalist sentiment that had grown since the Second Sino-Japanese War, members of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), largely comprising Chinese immigrants, formed the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA). Operating as a guerrilla force, the MPAJA conducted sabotage operations and harassed Japanese forces across the country.

This resistance movement opened the door for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to insert operatives into Malaya to provide training and logistical support. The SOE's Far East branch, known as Force 136, deployed its agents covertly via submarine and parachute. Among these agents were ethnic Malays who had been recruited while studying or working abroad before the war. Notable figures included Ibrahim Ismail and Tunku Osman, both of whom were instrumental in organising Malay resistance groups.

Several Malay guerrilla formations were established under Force 136, including the Ulu Perak Branch (also known as Askar Melayu Setia), the Kedah Branch, and the Pahang Branch (also known as Wataniah Pahang). Prominent resistance fighters included Dato' Yeop Mahidin Mohamed Shariff, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, and Tan Sri Ghazali Shafie. These formations, together with Force 136, undertook sabotage missions against Japanese military assets. All of these guerrilla forces were disbanded following the Japanese surrender in 1945.

The Malayan Emergency and civilian volunteer forces After the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945, members of the MCP sought to transform Malaya into a communist state. Taking advantage of the power vacuum that existed prior to the re-establishment of British military administration on 12 September 1945, the MCP's paramilitary wing, the MPAJA, seized control of various areas, conducting reprisals against alleged collaborators. This campaign of violence continued even after the British returned.

The MPAJA was reorganised as the Malayan People's Anti-British Army and later rebranded as the Malayan Races Liberation Army (MRLA). The security situation deteriorated significantly by 1948. In response to the assassination of three European plantation managers in Sungai Siput, Perak, the Malayan Emergency was formally declared.

With MRLA insurgents acquiring supplies from both Thailand and communist sympathisers, they also resorted to raiding rural settlements. This situation necessitated the formation of the Home Guard, a locally recruited force composed of civilian volunteers. Trained by the Federation of Malaya Police Force (FMPF) and Commonwealth military personnel, these villagers were tasked with protecting their communities against insurgent attacks.

Establishment of the Territorial Army of Malaya As the Malayan Emergency entered its final phase, the Home Guard was deemed surplus to requirements in its original form. However, many volunteers wished to continue serving the nation. In response, the Territorial Army Ordinance 1958 was passed and came into effect on 1 June 1958, officially establishing the Territorial Army of Malaya, known in Malay as Askar Wataniah Malaya and later Askar Wataniah Malaysia when Malaysia was formed in 1963, when it merged with corresponding organizations in Sarawak and British North Borneo. The name was chosen as a tribute to the wartime Askar Melayu Setia and Wataniah Pahang guerrilla groups of the Second World War. In honour of this, 1 June is marked as Territorial Army Day to mark the anniversary of this service.

Initial recruitment was drawn primarily from former Home Guard personnel. Because of its limited resources and infrastructure, the Territorial Army could not yet cover the entire country, and as a result, the Home Guard continued to function in certain regions, albeit in a support capacity to civil police. Eventually, this evolved into the Malaysia Volunteers Corps Department (RELA), which now operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and supports both the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Armed Forces.

At its inception, the Territorial Army consisted of only two components: the Technical Reserve Force and the Infantry Reserve Force. The Specialist Reserve Force was later added to the TA in 1977. By 1965, the Territorial Army included four infantry battalions, four technical support squadrons, one materiel squadron, and one military police unit. Between the 1960s and 1970s, an additional twelve militia units were raised, named according to their regions, and were incorporated under the Territorial Army's administration.

From 1963 to 1965, the TA of Malaysia included in its ranks elements of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, which would later form part of the basis of the future Singapore Armed Forces and the SAF Volunteer Corps.

Centralisation and restructuring Following the 13 May 1969 racial riots, the Territorial Army was temporarily placed under a unified Malaysian Army command and tasked with providing a defence buffer against similar incidents in the future. In 1974, the Directorate General of the Territorial Army () underwent restructuring, initiating a major transformation of the force.

A new initiative, known as the Full-Time Mobilisation System (), was introduced for the Infantry Reserve Force. Under this scheme, selected reservists were employed on fixed-term contracts and assigned to national development projects, such as the construction of the East–West Highway. These units became known as the Askar Kerahan Jalan Raya Timur–Barat (East–West Highway Mobilised Forces) and were organised into four infantry battalions.

On 1 March 1979, all battalions under this mobilisation force were absorbed into the regular Malaysian Army as follows:

11th Infantry Battalion, Territorial Army, became the 23rd Battalion, Royal Malays 12th Infantry Battalion, Territorial Army, became the 24th Battalion, Royal Malays 13th Infantry Battalion, Territorial Army, became the 25th Battalion, Royal Malays 14th Infantry Battalion, Territorial Army, became the 9th Battalion, Malaysian Rangers

On 7 February 1980, the twelve local militia defence units were formally integrated into the Territorial Army as infantry battalions, replacing the original Territorial Army formations. These newly reorganised units were upgraded into battalion-level combat formations under the Territorial Army structure. At the same time, the Territorial Army was officially renamed as the Pasukan Simpanan Tentera Darat (Malaysian Army Reserve).

To centralise command, the Malaysian Army established the 51st Army Reserve Brigade on 1 January 1981, the first dedicated brigade-level formation for the reserve force. Subsequently, on 19 February 1981, the 11th Infantry Division was converted into the 11th Army Reserves Division (), which assumed command over all reserve units, including infantry, technical, and specialist formations.

However, by 1 October 1982, the 51st Brigade was dissolved, deemed redundant due to the formation of the 11th Division. In 1984, the division's role was revised to focus on strategic defence functions, resulting in the decentralisation of reservist command once more.

HANRUH concept and expansion In 1988, the Malaysian Army implemented a major reorganisation of the reserve force structure. As part of this initiative, the Army Reserve reverted to its former name, the Territorial Army of Malaysia. During the same period, the Territorial Army was reorganised into four distinct categories. On 15 November 1988, all twelve Army Reserve infantry battalions were upgraded to regimental level and re-designated as the 500-series Reserve Regiments. Additionally, the Reserve Officers Training Unit (ROTU) was formally incorporated into the Territorial Army structure. At this stage, the Territorial Army comprised the following components:

500-series Reserve Regiments — 12 regiments Technical Units Field Engineer Squadrons