COMMENT | In November, a lone gunman ambushed two United States National Guard personnel in Washington, DC, near one of the most heavily defended political zones in the world.

It underscores a central reality of modern security: even sophisticated systems can fail when intelligence coordination, surveillance, and situational awareness break down.

The attack’s symbolism lies not only in its location but in its exposure of institutional blind spots.

For Malaysia, the incident offers important lessons for understanding long-standing vulnerabilities in Sabah’s eastern maritime frontier, the northern peninsula bordering Thailand’s Patani region, and the ongoing process of strengthening border governance through the newly established Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency.

The Washington shooting demonstrates that...