Senior defence officials from the ten ASEAN countries and eight partner countries from the Asia-Pacific region met in Singapore this week, to discuss ideas to strengthen regional defence cooperation. 

On 11 and 12 July, Permanent Secretary (Defence) Mr Chan Yeng Kit chaired the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM). This meeting comprises senior officials from the ten ASEAN countries. The senior officials discussed various proposals for ASEAN defence cooperation, including initiatives to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation, enhance ASEAN's capacity to defend against chemical, biological, and radiological threats, and establish confidence building measures among regional militaries to prevent miscalculations or mishaps. In particular, officials discussed stepping up counter-terrorism cooperation among ASEAN defence establishments in the areas of "Resilience, Response, Recovery" to deter terrorist attacks, ensure swift responses to terror threats, and enhance rehabilitation and recovery efforts for areas affected by terrorism. 

Earlier today, Mr Chan also chaired the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials' Meeting-Plus (ADSOM-Plus). The ADSOM-Plus is a platform for senior defence officials from ADMM-Plus countries, comprising ASEAN and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States, to discuss defence cooperation. During the meeting, the senior officials discussed recent ideas to enhance practical defence cooperation, focusing on key areas such as counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, and cyber security. 
 
As part of the ADSOM-Plus programme, Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Maliki Bin Osman hosted the senior officials to a luncheon where they discussed regional security issues of common interest including developments on the Korean Peninsula and regional counter-terrorism cooperation.