ADVANCING COOPERATION AMONG ASIA-PACIFIC ARMIES

Co-host of the 7th Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC) Chief of Staff of the United States Army General Martin E. Dempsey was unable to make it to the opening of the conference on the morning of 28 Jul. His flight had been delayed because of an approaching typhoon.

It just goes to show that Mother Nature can be unpredictable and difficult to handle.

And indeed, non-traditional security challenges were the topic du jour of the 7th PACC and the 35th Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS).

Speaking at the joint opening ceremony for both events held at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen emphasised that "by their very nature, transnational security challenges - spanning from terror networks to pandemics, natural disasters and cybersecurity - thwart attempts by individual states to contain or manage them".

Concerted effort and commitment, particularly in sharing information, best practices and new ideas for solutions, are thus critical in helping countries to deal with today's complex security threats.

To that end, security forums and groupings like the ASEAN Regional Forum, Shangri-La Dialogue or Malacca Straits Patrols, play an important role in providing opportunities for countries to "converse and cooperate in substantive ways", he added.

"It is also heartening to note that the scope of participants in such fora has broadened over the years, as more countries recognise the value of international engagement. This is a positive development that can build confidence and capacity to respond to emerging security challenges."

He also noted that the PACC and PAMS "represent much more than merely a meeting of minds".

"They are an important facet of our regional security architecture in driving greater cooperation among Asia-Pacific armies...and an opportunity for each of you to build a network of personal relationships that exists at the highest levels of the military and government."

Themed Building Land Forces' Capacity Through Multilateral Security Cooperation, the PACC and PAMS will be held in Singapore from 28 to 31 Jul and from 28 Jul to 1 Aug respectively.

Co-hosted by the Singapore and United States (US) Armies, the two events saw more than 180 army chiefs and senior commanders from 27 countries across the Asia-Pacific participating in bilateral and multilateral meetings, plenary discussions and a table-top exercise.

This also marks the first time that China, represented by Deputy Chief of General Staff General Zhang Qinsheng from the People's Liberation Army, as well as Laos, represented by Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier-General (BG) Souvone Leuangbounmy, are attending PACC.

For BG Yeo See Peng, Commander 6th Division, the increased participation reflects the "growing desire to cooperate and come up with new ideas to resolve complex regional issues of today and the challenges of tomorrow".

Citing instances such as the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in Indonesia as well as the recent earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand and the tsunami in Japan earlier this year, BG Yeo noted that "the need for immediate responses of a large-scale nature make it increasingly difficult for one country to handle single-handedly ... and military capabilities can play a big role in responding to such incidents".

"There are many examples of cooperation between countries and between our armies, but they all start from mutual understanding, mutual dialogue and open and professional seminars like the one we're having now," he added.

Major-General Michael J. Terry, Commanding General of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, US Army, shared similar sentiments.

"One of the great advantages of forums such as this is the opportunity to put a face to the names we all hear about every day. Our business is about people. The better we know each other and the better we communicate, the safer our region will be," he said.

"By coming together, learning about each other, our priorities and capabilities, we increase our combined ability to respond to a wide range of contingencies affecting us all."

PACC and PAMS are biennial and annual multilateral events respectively, and are co-hosted by the US Army and an Asia-Pacific army.

The Singapore Army is co-hosting PACC with the US Army for the second time since the inaugural PACC in 1999. It aims to foster cooperation and dialogue among regional Army Chiefs.

First held in 1978, PAMS is a forum for senior officers from 35 countries around the Pacific region to exchange views and lessons learned on professional matters.