Minister for Defence Attends ADMM Retreat and the 2nd ADMM-Plus

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen (fifth from right) taking part in the ASEAN wave with his defence counterparts before the start of the ADMM-Plus.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen is in Brunei to attend the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) Retreat and the 2nd ADMM-Plus. Defence Ministers and senior defence officials from the ASEAN and "Plus" countries - Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States - attended the 2nd ADMM-Plus on 29 August 2013. The ASEAN Defence Ministers also met at the ADMM Retreat prior to the 2nd ADMM-Plus.

During the ADMM Retreat on 28 August 2013, the ASEAN Defence Ministers agreed to step up practical cooperation between militaries to achieve a higher level of trust and confidence with each other. They also agreed to institute practical measures to ease tensions in the South China Sea. The measures, which were first proposed at the 7th ADMM in May 2013, include establishing a hotline to defuse tensions at sea, as well as a "non first use of force" agreement. The Ministers emphasised that these measures would help to reduce the fallout from miscalculation and misunderstanding while the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea was being developed.

During the 2nd ADMM-Plus, the Ministers discussed the key security challenges facing the region and beyond, including the ongoing maritime disputes and overlapping territorial claims in the South and East China Seas. The Ministers supported the establishment of practical measures to de-escalate tensions and prevent conflicts. They also expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the ADMM-Plus since its inauguration in Vietnam in October 2010 and underscored the importance of the ADMM-Plus in sustaining strategic dialogue, building confidence, engendering practical cooperation and promoting stable military-to-military relations.

The Ministers strongly endorsed efforts to strengthen practical cooperation between the militaries. They noted the success of the ADMM-Plus Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Military Medicine (MM) Exercise held in Brunei in June 2013 as a good example of collaboration between the ADMM-Plus militaries. The Ministers also commended the achievements of the five ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Groups in the areas of maritime security, military medicine, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping operations and HADR, and emphasised the need to build on their success to sustain the momentum for cooperation.

The ADMM-Plus Ministers signed a Joint Declaration to reaffirm the commitment of member countries to enhance regional peace and security. As part of the ADMM-Plus programme, the Ministers jointly called on His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei. The ASEAN Defence Ministers also had an informal meeting with United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

While in Brunei, Dr Ng held bilateral meetings with Brunei Minister of Energy Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Australia Defence Minister Stephen Smith, Japan Minister of National Defense Itsunori Onodera, Malaysia Minister of Defence Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein, Thailand Deputy Minister of Defence GEN Yuthasak Sasiprapha and Vietnam Minister of National Defense GEN Phung Quang Thanh. Dr Ng is accompanied by Permanent Secretary for Defence Development Mr Chan Yeng Kit and other senior MINDEF officials.

Dr Ng interacting with United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel during his informal meeting with ASEAN Defence Ministers.

More Resources

Joint Declaration on the Second ASEAN Defence Minister's Meeting Plus