Formed as an infantry division Founded as an infantry division on 28 December 1976, during
communist insurgency, 3 DIV was tasked with defending the Malay peninsula alongside the
2nd Infantry Division (2 DIV) and
11th Infantry Division (11 DIV). At the time, 2 DIV headquarters were based at
Sungai Besi Army Base and were in charge of the Malay peninsula's northern region. The 2 DIV was then relocated to Penang, while the
4th Infantry Division was created for the Malay Peninsula's eastern region. Instead, the 11 DIV was reorganised into an
army reserve combat formation. Since then, the 3 DIV has been responsible for four states: Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, and Pahang.
Restructure as a combined arms division When
armoured and
artillery combat elements were added, 3 DIV was reorganised as a
combined arms division. They are the first Malaysian Army's infantry division to do so. Despite the fact that it is no longer a pure
infantry division, the 3rd Infantry Division retains its original name. == Structure ==