MiDAS is Malaysia’s defence and security institute, the kind of place that sits right at the thinking centre of the sector.  DCDS – M met them to find where the coalition and the institute could genuinely work together, and to open up a credible platform for coalition activity, joint studies, shared thought leadership, and events that actually carry weight.  The value of a body like this is reach and reputation, it speaks to government and industry in the same breath, so a good relationship here gives the coalition a respected stage instead of a cold start.  DCDS – M came to understand their agenda and to show how Dutch and Malaysian strengths could feed straight into it. The conversation opened a real route into serious, substance – led collaboration, the sort that builds authority over time.  It became one of the coalition’s most important convening relationships, and the return visit in June built directly on everything laid down here.