NAY PYI TAW, MYANMAR, Wednesday, 30 April 2014 – The ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus (ADSOM-Plus) was held today at the Royal Hotel Ace, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The Meeting was chaired by Colonel Nyein Chan, Director General, Department of International and Internal Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Myanmar / Myanmar’s ADSOM-Plus Leader.
The ADSOM-Plus Leaders commended the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Groups (EWG), namely Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Maritime Security, Military Medicine, Counter Terrorism and Peacekeeping Operations, in completing successfully its Work Plan 2011 – 2014, and facilitating and promoting practical cooperation among the defence forces of the ADMM-Plus member countries at the operational level as a concrete step towards building capacity and enhancing capability.
In adopting the Work Plan 2014 – 2017 of the ADMM-Plus EWGs, the ADSOM Leaders emphasised the need to work towards enhancing regional capacity and joint capabilities in addressing defence and security challenges of mutual interest by promoting capacity-building through greater engagements and interactions, enhancing interoperability through training and joint exercises, and establishing mechanisms for effective response. This second cycle of the work plan saw an addition of the ADMM-Plus EWG on Humanitarian Mine Action.
The ADSOM-Plus Leaders also exchanged views on regional and international security and defence issues. Some touched upon traditional security challenges, including multiple territorial issues, the situation in the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine. Most have expressed concerns on non-traditional security challenges, including terrorism, maritime security, natural disasters, infectious diseases and cyber security. In that regards, they stressed the importance of cooperation within and outside ASEAN in dealing with these issues such as search and rescue, anti-piracy and humanitarian mine action.
Brunei Darussalam’s delegation was led by its ADSOM-Plus Leader, Col (Rtd) Pengiran Dato Haji Azmansham Haji Mohamad, Permanent Secretary (Defence Policy and Development), and accompanied by Haji Adi Ihram Dato Paduka Haji Mahmud, Acting Director of Defence Policy.
At the sidelines of the Meeting, Brunei Darussalam’s ADSOM-Plus Leader held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Plus Countries to enhance defence cooperation.
