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Singapore and Japan Co-Chair the 3rd Expert’s Working Group on Military Medicine Meeting
10 October 2013
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Permanent Secretary for Defence Mr Chan Yeng Kit delivering the opening address during the 3rd ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine meeting.
Permanent Secretary for Defence Mr Chan Yeng Kit officiated at the opening ceremony of the 3rd meeting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Experts' Working Group on Military Medicine (EWG-MM) earlier today. The meeting, co-chaired by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Chief of Medical Corps Rear-Admiral (Dr) Kang Wee Lee and Japan's Ministry of Defense Bureau of Personnel and Education's Director of Health and Medical Division, Dr Toyonori Omori, is held from 9 to 11 Oct 2013 in Singapore, and is attended by senior military medical officials from the ADMM-Plus countries. The ADMM-Plus brings together 18 countries, namely the ten ASEAN countries, as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.
Over the past three years, the EWG-MM has identified common challenges in military medical support operations; developed a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to establish a common understanding and operating language of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) medical support; and developed a Register of national Points of Contact and a Register of National Emergency Management Agencies of all ADMM-Plus countries. The EWG-MM has also worked with Brunei and the EWG-HADR in the planning and conduct of the inaugural ADMM-Plus HADR/MM Exercise that was held in Brunei in June 2013.
Speaking on the significance of the EWG-MM at the opening ceremony, Mr Chan said, "The establishment of the EWG-MM marks the first time that practical cooperation in military medicine is undertaken within the regional security framework." Mr Chan also shared that "the EWG-MM's workplan progressively strengthened cooperation, inter-operability and coordination among the military medical services of the 18 ADMM-Plus countries in HADR operations."
Singapore and Japan will officially hand-over the co-chairmanship of the EWG-MM to Thailand and Russia during this meeting. The successful completion of the EWG-MM under Singapore and Japan's co-chairmanship underscores the importance and relevance of the ADMM-Plus in the regional security architecture as well as the desire of the ADMM-Plus countries to enhance practical cooperation amongst the defence establishments. As part of the overall commitment to the ADMM-Plus process, Singapore will co-chair the EWG on Counter-Terrorism with Australia in the next cycle of EWGs from 2014 to 2017.
Mr Chan (9th from left), flanked by RADM (Dr) Kang Wee Lee (8th from left) and Dr Toyonori Omori (9th from right) with the delegates participating in the 3rd ADMM-Plus EWG-MM.
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