BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Monday 3 November 2014 – The Welcoming Dinner for the Chiefs Head of Defense (CHOD) Conference 2014 was held last night at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom, Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong. CHOD 2014 commences from 3rd to 6th November 2014 and is co-hosted by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM).
In the welcoming remarks, Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Mejar General Dato Paduka Seri Mohd Tawih bin Abdullah, Commander of RBAF, highlighted on the theme of this year’s conference, that is; Multilateralism: Practical Cooperation Towards Shared Responsibility. Multilateralism is a fairly new concept resulted from differing security threats caused or enhanced by globalisation. It has been recognized that extremism, radicalism, large-scale pandemic and natural disasters have replaced traditional threats.
Yang Dimuliakan Pehin further suggested that Multilateralism could be a solution to address the abovementioned threats by leveraging on each other strengths and synchronizing efforts among the countries in the Asia Pacific region.
Meanwhile, the co-host, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, in his Welcoming Remarks highlighted that the Conference offers a unique opportunity to address, through open and honest dialogue. He further touched on the impact of regional challenges and opportunities as well as the importance of a shared understanding and togetherness towards better regional security environment.
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces Band serenaded the dinner with Brunei cultural songs. Earlier during the day, bilateral meetings were held between the participating CHODs. The participation 26 countries in CHOD 2014 is a huge step for trust to be initiated towards effective collaboration.
