GREATER ASEAN-US COOPERATION IN COUNTER-TERRORISM, MARITIME SECURITY & DISASTER RELIEF

Terrorism and its threat to international peace and security was one of the main topics of discussion at the second ASEAN-United States (US) Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting held in Honolulu, Hawaii, yesterday.

Agreeing that it was one of the more pertinent challenges facing the region, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment for greater intelligence and information sharing to tackle the problem.

In a media interview on the sideline of the meeting, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen said: "Every year we meet, the situation and the threat from extremist terrorism rises Compared to a year ago, they are more organised and more networked".

Noting concerns about how, even if ISIS was diminished or dismembered in Iraq and Syria, ASEAN nations may still suffer from Southeast Asian terrorist fighters returning to the region, he added: "We talked about how to how to respond to this and I think many ministers lauded the efforts by Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia in forming the Sulu Sea patrols, especially because that region has entrenched networks for weapons and human smuggling, including extremists.

"I thought that was a good start. But we recognise that there was a lot to be done, and that information sharing and intelligence was also a key area."

During the meeting, Dr Ng also shared Singapore's efforts in building an integrated maritime security picture among its domestic agencies, as well as efforts to facilitate broader regional information-sharing through Singapore's Information Fusion Centre (IFC).

The IFC has supported the Malacca Straits Patrol, a joint effort by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, and Dr Ng reiterated Singapore's offer for the IFC to support the Sulu Sea patrols.

Emphasising the importance of clear rules to lower the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations among countries, he recommended that the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) be expanded to include more countries and maritime stakeholders, as well as to develop a code of conduct for submariners.

On the South China Sea issue, he told reporters that while Singapore was a non-claimant state, it still had an interest in regional stability and supporting the establishing of mechanisms to prevent escalations, as the sea was a major shipping route and many economies depended on it. "We talked about direct communication lines, about forums at which we can bring up disputes and how we can resolve disputes."

At the meeting, Dr Ng also updated his counterparts on the progress made by Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Coordination Centre, or RHCC, which was set up after the 2014 ASEAN-US Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting to plug the gap in disaster relief coordination by militaries.

Since its launch in September 2014, the RHCC has strengthened its links to military partners and other relevant organisations, taken part in operations to aid the Nepalese military after the April 2015 earthquake, and helped in regional efforts to deepen confidence among nations in HADR.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Dr Ng had a bilateral meeting with the Philippines Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana on 30 Sep, where they reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and the Philippines.

In January 2017, the RHCC, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the US Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance will jointly organise a HADR table-top exercise called Exercise Coordinated Response.

Dr Ng also visited the United States Pacific Command (US PACOM) for a static display at the Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, and was hosted to a breakfast by Commander US PACOM Admiral Harry Harris on 2 Oct.