With regard to the So tanks will not target Spore; who then? letter, I believe that the tanks will be used as and when Malaysian troops are involved in peace-keeping duties.

During the time when our peace-keepers are involved in Somalia and Bosnia, the lack of tanks have hampered the troops from discharging their duties. The Serb forces were equipped with tanks and in Somalia, some of our soldiers died while trying to rescue American forces trapped in a deadly crossfire. The armoured personnel carriers were not sufficient in protecting our troops.

And if indeed we want to target Singapore with the tanks, bear in mind that the Singaporeans are buying Apache Assault helicopters (20) and it is a proven tank killer. I believe our army experts have taken this into account.