SINGAPORE, Tuesday 10 May 2016 – The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise (ADMM Plus MS & CT) officially came to an end with a closing ceremony held at the Fleet Auditorium, Changi Naval Base, Singapore.
Major General Perry Lim, Chief of Defence of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) expressed gratitude to the ADMM-Plus nations for the collective commitment, shared experiences and mutual trust achieved from the multinational militaries exercise while meeting the set objectives.
Delivering his closing address to all participants, Major General Perry Lim has been greatly impressed by the involvement of personnel from the eighteen nations; he commended the exercise planners and extended appreciation to all participants for the high level of professionalism they demonstrated throughout the exercise. The closing ceremony ended with a presentation of momentos to all heads of delegations. Brunei participants for the exercise also attended the closing ceremony.
The successful conduct of the ADMM-Plus MS & CT Exercise further underscores the importance and relevance of the ADMM-Plus in the regional security architecture. Apart from bringing the ASEAN and the Plus countries militaries together, it is hoped that the practical collaboration continues to forge closer cooperation and reduce or negate possible security threats towards a more peaceful region.
This is the fifth ADMM-Plus field training exercise. The first was held in 2013 and focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and military medicine. This is the first time the ADMM-Plus maritime security and counter-terrorism working groups collaborated in an exercise.
Since its establishment in 2010, the ADMM-Plus has made significant progress in facilitating strategic dialogue between defence officials as well as practical cooperation between militaries. This has helped to build confidence and promote stable military-to-military relations in the region.
The
ADMM-Plus MS and CT Exercise is co-organised by Brunei and New Zealand
as the co-chairs of the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on MS (EWG-MS),
and Singapore and Australia as the co-chairs of the ADMM-Plus Experts’
Working Group on CT (EWG-CT). Held from 2 to 12 May 2016, the exercise
involved approximately 3500 personnel, 18 naval vessels, 25 aircrafts
and 40 Special Forces teams.