
Biography
Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin (born 30 November 1958 in Muar, Johor) is Minister of Defence, appointed in the December 2023 cabinet reshuffle, and has been the Member of Parliament for Kota Tinggi since 2022. He is a vice-president of UMNO and one of the most experienced Johor politicians in federal office. Of Banjar descent, Khaled was educated at Sekolah Rendah Ledang Tangkak, High School Muar and English College Johore Bahru before taking a law degree at the University of Malaya in 1982. He worked at Petronas and then as an adviser to the federal minister Shahrir Abdul Samad before entering politics. He has represented three different Johor constituencies over three decades: Johor Bahru from 1990 to 2004, Pasir Gudang from 2004 to 2013, and Kota Tinggi since 2022. He served as Deputy Minister of Works, Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development, and Minister of Higher Education in Barisan Nasional governments between 1999 and 2013. He then moved to state politics, winning the Johor state seat of Permas and serving as the 15th Menteri Besar of Johor from 2013 to 2018. Khaled returned to the federal cabinet in December 2022 as Minister of Higher Education for a second time, before the 2023 reshuffle moved him to Defence in an exchange of portfolios among three former UMNO menteris besar. He was also Johor UMNO state chairman during 2023. In his corporate career he chaired Boustead Holdings from 2020 to 2022 and has chaired Johor Corporation.
Constituencies (1)
Electoral track record
| Year | Party | Votes | % | Majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | BN | 25,410 | 53.68% | — | Won |
| 2018 | BN | 36,889 | 35.13% | — | Lost |
| 2018 | BN | 20,047 | 37.73% | — | Lost |
| 2013 | BN | 23,952 | 56.82% | — | Won |
Parliamentary activity
From 249 Dewan Rakyat sittings- 3 Mar 2026· Sitting 20Absent
- 2 Mar 2026· Sitting 19
Connections (319)
News sentiment over time
369 mentions across 9 months
News mentions
Malaysia ready to strengthen defence ties with Iran, says Mohamed Khaled - Malay Mail
Malaysia ready to strengthen defence ties with Iran, says Mohamed Khaled - Malay Mail
Why you’re seeing this: Mentions Mohamed Khaled Nordin
Malaysia ready to strengthen defence ties with Iran, says Mohamed Khaled
Malaysia is ready to expand and strengthen defence cooperation with Iran, including finalising a MoU and participating in LIMA, while…