Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the 5th Moscow Conference on International Security 2016: Security Challenges and Opportunities for International Military-To-Military Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. First, let me thank my  good friend Dr. Anatoly Antonov, whom I have known for a number of years, for chairing this session. I thank Minister Shoigu and the Ministry  of Defence of the Russian Federation for the kind invitation for Singapore to be part of this important 5th Moscow Conference on International Security. It is an honour for me to speak alongside with my Defence Ministers from ASEAN and India. The topic is Military-to-Military Cooperation in the Asia Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific Region Has Become More Integrated

The optimist will say that after two World Wars, the human race would have learnt from its past mistakes. The optimist would also add that the 21st century presents an opportunity to break from our periled past where military to military engagements of different countries can now deepen to truly seek common ground, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral ties. The pessimist’s rejoinder is that militaries will always be an instrument of state, that there are no permanent friends, only interests and where interests are not aligned, conflicts are inevitable. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Whether one is an optimist or pessimist, I suggest that one reserves judgement and not only support, but as leaders, push military-to-military engagement between our countries. It is in our collective and individual interest to do so, because at very least, interactions between our militaries reduce the risk of miscalculations and mistakes.

In this age of globalisation, with common markets in finance and trade, trans-boundary flows of goods, services, capital and labour are occurring on a daily basis at levels unprecedented and never seen historically. Countries are too interconnected, and the price of conflict wherever they occur are too high for everyone potentially. Very few here need further convincing of this reality. Whether it was the global financial crisis, the wave of migrants into Europe arising from violence in Iraq and Syria that we see today, or the disruptive effects of lower energy prices due to shale gas, the consequential impact has been global.

Indeed, the number of regional trade agreements worldwide has risen from around 70 in 1990 to more than 270 last year and the Asia-Pacific region has been a prime mover and major beneficiary. Trade with Asia and within Asia has risen and kept economies buoyant in the last decade compared to Europe or the Americas. Global trade patterns have changed with increased flows to Asia. China is now the largest trading partner of ASEAN, Japan, Australia, Korea, and a number of other countries, and is the second largest trading partner of many others.

With this economic prosperity, countries in the Asia Pacific are also increasing their military spending. Many countries are playing catch up and they are trying to modernise their militaries. In fact, in absolute terms, Asia’s military spending has outstripped that of Europe’s since 2012, and is projected to surpass that of the US within the next decade.

Dialogue and Practical Cooperation to Tackle Challenges Ahead

It is in this context of increasing interdependence that the calls for greater co-operation and collaboration between militaries become increasingly important.

For North East Asia - between China, Japan and Korea – the need for dialogue and common understanding is urgent given the tensions in the East China Sea and the Korean Peninsula.

The common security challenge from non-state actors such as jihadi extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS is another reason to increase cooperation to face down this threat. Other transnational challenges related to cyber-security, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international piracy and human smuggling, biological pandemics are too large for any one country to deal with, as my esteemed colleagues before me have emphasised, and will require the combined efforts of countries and appropriate use of their militaries.

To tackle these challenges, we must step up dialogue and practical cooperation. Platforms such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), allow countries from the Asia-Pacific and beyond to come together for dialogue and cooperation.

In fact, the ADMM-Plus, which is only six years old, has made good progress in strengthening practical cooperation between our militaries. This year, four ADMM-Plus Exercises will be conducted. Next month, Singapore, Brunei, Australia and New Zealand will co-host a large-scale exercise focusing on Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism. In fact, Russia is one of the biggest contributors to the exercise and will send one destroyer, two helicopters, two auxiliary ships, two Special Forces teams and Headquarters staff. Through these exercises, our different armed forces learn more about each other, build trust and build new capabilities that we need to tackle the threats to our common prosperity.

We must also step up information sharing. This is why Singapore established a maritime Information Fusion Centre in 2009, to provide a  platform for maritime-related information-sharing and coordination. Platforms such as these strengthen our regional security architecture while facilitating operational cooperation against common challenges.

In addition to the platforms for dialogue, practical cooperation and information sharing, we must also build effective mechanisms that promote peaceful means of resolving disputes and de-escalating tensions when they arise. Brunei’s Direct Communication Link among the ADMM countries is one such initiative, and when implemented, will provide a quick and reliable means of communication when we encounter any crisis. During the third ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur last year, Singapore suggested expanding the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea or CUES, to include white-shipping as encounters could also take place between them and military vessels. It will also be useful  to extend it to include the coast guard. Regional navies can also work towards creating a similar protocol to guide submariners so as to prevent accidents during an unlikely encounter. We can also look at establishing another protocol to regulate air encounters between militaries’ aircraft similar to the protocols established between China and the US last year.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, in this increasingly connected world,  cooperation and collaboration remain key assets to deal with complex transnational challenges. For defence and security agencies, we must keep working to build trust and cooperation so that we can more effectively tackle challenges together.  Thank you for this opportunity to speak.