SINGAPORE TAKES OVER AS ADMM CHAIRMAN; MAPS OUT KEY THRUSTS

Singapore took over the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) Chairmanship at the conclusion of the 11th ADMM and 4th ADMM-Plus on 24 Oct in Clark, Philippines, with a ceremony that saw Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen receive the ceremonial gavel from Philippines Secretary of National Defence Delfin Lorenzana.

Dr Ng said: "Singapore is happy to take over the chairmanship of the ADMM and the ADMM-Plus... It is an important time and we recognise it - there are many challenges for ASEAN in the future."

To focus efforts, Dr Ng spoke about Singapore's three key thrusts as the new ADMM chair. They include promoting regional counter-terrorism collaboration; growing a collective capability to defend against chemical, biological and radiological threats; and expanding the use of practical, confidence-building measures in the aviation and maritime domains.

Said Dr Ng: "The first on top of everybody's mind is terrorism, and for good reason. Marawi was a wake-up call to all ASEAN countries, and a grim warning that the devastation that we see in Iraq and Syria can very well happen in ASEAN countries...

"So I said that one of our focuses would be on terrorism, and we are going to hold special sessions on terrorism in the highest levels of leadership."

Dr Ng, who was in Philippines from 22 to 24 Oct to attend the 11th ADMM and the 4th ADMM-Plus, also congratulated the Philippines for the successful conduct of those meetings.

At the 11th ADMM on 23 Oct, Dr Ng and other ASEAN defence ministers signed a Joint Declaration which underscored their commitment to combat terrorism through regional and international cooperation.

The meeting also saw the adoption of several proposals, such as the annualisation of the ADMM-Plus to exchange views on pertinent regional security challenges more regularly. The ADMM-Plus meeting was held every three years previously.

There was also a special ADMM meeting on countering violent extremism, radicalisation, and terrorism, where the defence ministers reaffirmed the importance of regional counter-terrorism initiatives, such as the Trilateral Maritime and Air Patrols in the Sulu Sea.

At the 4th ADMM-Plus, the members discussed international and regional security issues such as the growing terror threat in the region as well as the situation in the Korean Peninsula. They also reaffirmed the group's role in promoting practical cooperation to strengthen interoperability among the 18 member nations' militaries.

On the sidelines of the 11th ADMM and 4th ADMM-Plus,the ASEAN defence ministers held separate informal meetings with China, Japan and the United States.

During his time in the Philippines, Dr Ng also had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the region, and with Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defence General (GEN) Chang Wanquan, Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and United States (US) Secretary of Defence James Mattis.