SINGAPORE, Friday 25 January 2013 – The Middle Planning Conference (MPC) for the 2nd ASEAN Militaries’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) was held today at the Marina Mandarin Hotel, Singapore.

The meeting was co-chaired by First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz Haji Mohd Tamit, Joint Force Commander, Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Brigadier General Ngien Hoon Ping, Director of Joint Operation Department, Singapore Armed Forces, in their capacities as the co-hosts of the 2nd AHX. Participants of the meeting consisted of representatives from all ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat.

During the meeting, all of the participants reaffirmed their full support and continuous commitment towards the realization of the Table-Top Exercise that will be held on 16 June 2013 in Brunei Darussalam. Apart from that, the MPC has received full support and mutual agreement on the proposed programme of the 2nd AHX. The participants also had the opportunity for professional sharing during the second half of the meeting with a briefing given by the ASEAN Secretariat on ASEAN HADR management mechanism.

The inaugural AHX Table-Top Exercise that was held from 12 – 14 July 2011, co-hosted by Indonesia and Singapore, has set the foundation for practical cooperation and military-to-military coordination between ASEAN militaries. The 2nd AHX will build upon the positive progress that the region has witnessed since the first exercise, in further promoting the capacity-building, interoperability and interaction between ASEAN militaries.