16th ARF HDUCIM Concludes, Stresses Need to Adapt and Stronger Cooperation

BEIJING, Thursday 8 November 2012 – The 16th ASEAN Regional Forum Heads of Defense University/ Colleges/ Institutions Meeting (ARF HDUCIM) was concluded yesterday in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

The meeting, co-chaired by the National Defense University, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (CPLA), and the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (SHHBIDSS) of Brunei Darussalam had the theme “Education on National Security Strategy in a Changing World”. 

During the meeting, participants from defence universities and colleges saw the need to adapt their programmes to keep up with the evolving security environment, as well as the growing needs of the military, in terms of its expanding roles, in terms of keeping up with technological advancements, and in managing the mindsets of different generations.  In sharing best practices and innovative experiences, participants expressed a strong desire to collaborate with other members, in particular in the area of capacity building including on teaching methodologies, and in joint research.

The 17th ARF HDUCIM is expected to be held in Brunei Darussalam in 2013, during its chairmanship of ASEAN.  It was agreed that the Korean National Defence University (KNDU) would co-chair that meeting and that they were also expected to host the 18th ARF HDUCIM in the Republic of Korea in 2014.

More than 70 participants from 21 ARF participating countries attended the 16th ARF HDUCIM. Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the CPLA, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.  General Wang Xibin, President of National Defense University, CPLA, and Muhammad Shahrul Nizzam Umar, Acting Director of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Strategic Studies co-chaired the three-day meeting.

At the sidelines of the meeting, the Brunei delegation called on General Wang Xibin, President of the National Defence University of the PLA.  They also held a separate meeting with Dr. Han Yongsup, Vice-President of the Korean National Defence University, to discuss preparations for the 17th ARF HDUCIM.