Reserve Army Battalion, the University of Agriculture Malaysia became B Company, 1st University of Malaya Reserve Army Battalion, and the National University of Malaysia became C Company, 1st University of Malaya Reserve Army Battalion, while the University of Malaya became HQ Company, 1st University of Malaya Reserve Army Battalion. The creation of the Reserve Officer Training Unit Brigadier General Dato' Abdul As Ismail, the Commander of the Territorial Army Regiment at the time, invited all public university vice chancellors and the Director of MARA Institute of Technology to a meeting in 1978 and expressed his desire to establish a military officer training programme at universities to train university lecturers, staff, and students. The opinion was well received, and on 18 December 1978, the Chief of Defense Forces and the Chief of the Army officially established the Reserve Officer Training Unit (: ROTU). On 26 February 1979, the Chief of the Army convened a meeting with all public university vice chancellors and the Director of MARA Institute of Technology, and directed the universities to establish ROTU at their respective institutions. The National University of Malaysia was the first university to establish ROTU on 1 July 1979, while Professor Mohd Ghazali was appointed as the first commandant and given the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The 1st University of Malaya Reserve Army Battalion was officially dissolved on 2 February 1980, and the University of Malaya established their ROTU on 5 February 1980, followed by the University of Agriculture Malaysia on 8 February 1980 and MARA Institute of Technology on 6 March 1980. Until 2017, 18 more ROTUs were established at other universities and institutions, three of which were MARA Institute of Technology branches. In the late 1980s, the Reserve Officer Training Unit was officially renamed the Pasukan Latihan Pegawai Simpanan, or PALAPES for short. Navy's and Air force's version The Navy's version of ROTU, the PALAPES Laut, was introduced in 1986 at Universiti Sains Malaysia, while the Air Force's version of ROTU, the PALAPES Udara, was introduced in 1989 at Universiti Utara Malaysia. All military branches of ROTU remain under one command, but their military training is provided by the respective military branches. Objectives ROTU objectives may differ between universities and institutions, but the core objectives remain the same. The core objectives are as follows: To introduce undergraduate students to military field. Students are trained to be disciplined and patriotic. Providing manpower