ASEAN Defence Ministers and US Strengthen Cooperation in Counter-Terrorism, Disaster Relief and Maritime Security

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen attended the ASEAN-US Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, today. During the meeting, the Ministers discussed regional security challenges such as terrorism, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and maritime security.

The Ministers recognised that terrorism was one of the more pertinent challenges facing our region, particularly the threat posed by ISIS and its affiliates in the region. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment for greater intelligence and information sharing to tackle the terrorist threat, while lauding recent regional initiatives such as the Sulu Sea patrols by Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to counter the rising threat of terrorism in the maritime domain.

Noting the importance of strengthening military coordination to respond to natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific, Dr Ng provided an update on the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC), which was first proposed at the last ASEAN-US Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting in Hawaii in April 2014. Since its launch in September 2014, the RHCC has strengthened its linkages with military partners and other relevant organisations, participated in operations to support the Nepalese military in the aftermath of an earthquake in April 2015, and contributed to regional efforts to enhance interoperability and build confidence in HADR. In particular, Dr Ng noted that the Changi RHCC was working with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance to co-organise Exercise Coordinated Response, a HADR table-top exercise for Asia-Pacific militaries. The exercise will be conducted in January 2017, and aims to promote the sharing of best practices and enhance coordination in HADR.

The Ministers also discussed maritime security issues, such as maritime domain awareness and inter-agency maritime cooperation. Dr Ng shared Singapore's efforts to build an integrated maritime security picture among its domestic agencies, as well as our efforts to facilitate broader regional information-sharing through Singapore's Information Fusion Centre (IFC). In particular, Dr Ng noted that the IFC had supported the Malacca Straits Patrol, a joint effort by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. He reiterated Singapore's offer for the IFC to facilitate information-sharing in support of the Sulu Sea patrols. Dr Ng also stressed the importance of clear rules to undergird regional stability. He recommended that the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) could be expanded to include more countries and more maritime stakeholders, as well as to develop a code of conduct for submariners, to reduce the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations.
 
The ASEAN Defence Ministers also welcomed the US' continued engagement in the region and its active participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). The Ministers noted the importance of the ADMM-Plus in strengthening practical cooperation amongst the militaries, such as through the Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise, which Singapore co-organised with Australia, Brunei and New Zealand in May 2016.

As part of his visit, Dr Ng also visited the United States Pacific Command (US PACOM) for a static display at the Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam. He will also be hosted to a breakfast by Commander US PACOM Admiral Harry Harris tomorrow.

More Resources

Intervention by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the Informal Policy Dialogue on Regional Security Issues

Intervention by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the Maritime Cooperation Roundtable