The Administration of the Armed Forces of the Federation: a Federation Armed Forces Council
11. We agree that steps should be taken to enable the Federation armed forces to be administratively self-contained. At present their administration is integrated with that of the United Kingdom forces, and is largely carried out by Headquarters Malaya on behalf of the Federation Government. The process of setting up self-contained administrative machinery for the Federation forces must take time, but meanwhile there should be set up forthwith on a statutory basis a Federation Armed Forces Council, which would be a permanent body, quite distinct from the Emergency Operations Council discussed in paragraph 10, The process of building up the necessary administrative substructure will be carried out under the aegis and direction of this body.
12. The functions, of the Council and the distribution of responsibilities to its individual members will broadly correspond to the practice obtaining in the Army and Air Councils in the United Kingdom. The membership of the Council will at first be:
- The Minister for Internal Defence and Security - Chairman;
- A representative of Their Highnesses Rulers;
- The General Officer Commanding the Federation Army (who would be seconded by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, and be appointed by and, be responsible to the Federation Government);
- Two other professional members corresponding to the United Kingdom Adjutant-General (who deals with personnel matters) and Quartermaster-General (who deals with stores and equipment);
- The senior civil servant in the Ministry of Internal Defence and Security.
A representative of Headquarters Malaya will be available to attend when required so long as the Federation army is dependent on administrative support from Headquarters Malaya. We consider that this Council should handle administrative questions concerning the existing and future Federation Naval and Air Forces as well as Army matters.
13. In the light of the provisions and practice in the United Kingdom regarding handling of Service matters, we consider that the following principles are applicable to the Federation:-
- (i) the armed forces are forces of the State (as represented by the Head of State) and are raised and maintained by the Head of State in accordance with legislative authority;
- (ii) so far as the armed forces themselves are concerned, their affairs will be regulated by the Armed Forces Council and not by any individual;
- (iii) so far as the Executive and Legislative Councils are concerned, the Minister, as Chairman of the Armed Forces Council, will be responsible for the administration of the armed forces;
- (iv) subject to the Minister's general responsibility to the Head of State, on whose authority all appointments are made, personnel matters will in practice be dealt with, up to a certain level, by the professional member of the Armed Forces Council corresponding to the Adjutant-General in the United Kingdom, and beyond that level, in relation to very senior posts, by consultation between the Head of State, the Minister and the senior Service advisers of the Government;
- (v) the Armed Forces Council, in accordance with United Kingdom practice, will not direct the operational use of the armed forces. Policy decisions governing the use of the forces will be taken in Executive Council.
