BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Tuesday, 3 Sept 2013 – The Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (SHHBIDSS) hosted the inaugural Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI) Retreat today and discussed two topics; “Defence and Security Cooperation 2015 and beyond” and “NADI’s Future Work Programme”.
In the first session, NADI members discussed the ADMM’s progress in enhancing regional security through strategic dialogue and practical cooperation, and exchanged views on the future direction and prospects of ADMM cooperation. In the second session, members agreed on NADI’s Two Year Work Programme which included workshops and collaborative efforts between NADI members. The work programme was aimed at further strengthening NADI’s contributions and support to the work and priorities of the ADMM. In this regard, NADI members expressed their readiness to look into areas of importance to the ADMM, through its activities such as workshops.
NADI members agreed to push forward a number of recommendations for the ADMM’s consideration. This included the need to continue efforts to strengthen ASEAN centrality through maintaining the ADMM’s proactive role as the primary driving force in regional defence cooperation; to deepen work on the agreed six areas of cooperation in the ADMM; explore new areas of cooperation including the impact of environmental hazards to defence and security; as well as emerging security issues relating to human security, cyber security, biosecurity and aviation security.
In this regard, NADI encouraged the ADMM to continue looking into both traditional and non-traditional security issues which are under the purview of the Defence Ministers. The ADMM may also wish to consider raising the number of EWGs to eight so that they will be participation by all the Plus countries as co-chairs in the EWGs. NADI also encouraged the ADMM to play a more proactive role in communicating its overall achievements through the media and to consider NADI inputs and recommendations.
The NADI Retreat was chaired by Haji Muhd Shahrul Nizzam bin Umar, Acting Director of SHHBIDSS and was attended by NADI Heads and representatives from the 10 ASEAN member states. NADI was inaugurated in 2007 as the Track II forum of ASEAN defence and security institutions.
