JERUDONG, Monday 7 September 2015 – Brunei Darussalam continues to foster and strengthen external ties in order to maintain its status as the Abode of Peace through gatherings such as the 8th Asia Pacific Intelligence Chief’s Conference (APICC), which was officially launched at the Indera Samudera Grand Hall at the Empire Empire Hotel & Country Club in Jerudong yesterday. The theme of the conference is `Pursuing Stability Through Defence Intelligence Cooperation’.
The three-day conference marks the first time the Sultanate has co-hosted APICC with the United States through the Ministry of Defence’s Directorate of Intelligence and the United States Pacific Command (UPASCOM) with the aim of creating an open dialogue among Asia-Pacific leadership and representatives of military intelligence sections.
In attendance was the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Major General Dato Paduka Seri Mohammad Tawih bin Abdullah, as well as Lieutenant General Vincent R Stewart, Director of the United States Defence Intelligence Agency and Captain Haji Abdul Rahman bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Director of Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam.
The 24 countries taking part in the conference are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, France, Indonesia, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam and China.
According to Lieutenant General Stewart, topics of discussion will consist of matters pertaining to maritime security, transnational terrorism and professionalism.
In the RBAF Commander’s opening remarks, he lauded the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
However, the commander continued, “Peace and stability are by no means durable certainties on their own. Creating the virtuous conditions for peace is one thing, sustaining it is another. We are not immune from the dangers of the world. We need to always be vigilant and diligent in protecting our peace”.
The commander raise issues and challenges the world currently faces such as environmental disasters and transnational crimes, restating that such issues have “continuously assessed the effectiveness of our responses and how to better respond in the future”.
He also mentioned that the wide use of technology has been “beneficial in providing more platforms of knowledge and means of communications”. But has also brought ”added dimensions of challenges to our security agencies including the military”.
As an example, the commander brought up the challenges of social media as a means for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to disseminate its propaganda to recruit locals from the Southeast Asian region, reinstating that “the militaries of today need to utilise their assets and continuously seek ways to further develop their capabilities and capacities in meeting traditional tasks as well as emerging ones, especially in the vast world of social media”.
The commander urged the participants to “cooperate” and respect fellow partners in the region on the basis of trust in order to overcome current and future security challenges, stressing the significance of “building partnerships and through avenues of cooperation, such as APICC, where we can create positive and fruitful outcomes that can benefit the intelligence community in the long run”.
Initiated in Kuala Lumpur by USPACOM in 2007, APICC serves as an annual regional avenue that provides military intelligence chiefs the opportunity to come together, interact closely and discuss cooperative matters within the intelligence field.
Its continued relevance is a strong reflection of its importance in shaping a more robust cooperative dynamic in addressing the multi-faceted security challenges in the Asia-Pacific.
Articlesy courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
Photo courtesy of Media Permata
