ADMM to deepen ASEAN defense cooperation

Many cooperation initiatives have been implemented

After the initiative to establish ADMM was approved at the 10th ASEAN Summit in Laos in November 2004, the first ADMM was successfully held in Malaysia in May 2006. Since then, ADMM has become an annual activity of the association's defense ministers.

It aims to promote regional peace and stability via dialogue and cooperation in defense and security; map out orientations for cooperation among ASEAN member countries and between ASEAN, its friends and dialogue partners. It also helps enhance trust and knowledge about defense and security challenges and boost transparency and openness in the region, contributing to building the ASEAN Security Community (later renamed the ASEAN Political-Security Community).

So far, ADMM has undergone 15 editions hosted by member countries in turn, namely Malaysia (2006), Singapore (2007), Thailand (2009), Vietnam (2010), Indonesia (2011), Cambodia (2011, 2012), Brunei (2013), Myanmar (2014), Malaysia (2015), Laos (2016), Philippines (2017), Singapore (2018), Thailand (2019), Vietnam (2020), and Brunei (2021). They have attached much importance to ADMM's organization because the event is directly related to peace and stability in the region and security of each member countries.

Since its establishment, ASEAN cooperation has developed in a substantive manner in many fields such as maritime security, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, military medicine, and defense industry. A number of initiatives has been implemented in the framework of the program such as ASEAN Logistics Support Framework (LSF), ASEAN Defense Interaction Program (ADIP), ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration (ADIC), and ASEAN Peacekeeping Centers Network (APCN), to name but a few.

Vietnam makes remarkable contribution to ASEAN defense cooperation

Well aware of the ADMM's strategic importance for the regional security architecture, Vietnam has actively participated in the mechanism, making contribution to promoting the development of ADMM in accordance with ASEAN Charter, while proposing many initiatives which have been highly appreciated by many other countries. It helps realize cooperation among ASEAN member countries as well as ensure an environment of peace, stability, and cooperation, for a prosperous ASEAN Community.

The initiatives include no threat of using force and no first use of force and enhancing cooperation in search and rescue at sea; boosting maritime cooperation in the region via joint patrol, among others.

In 2010, Vietnam successfully organized the ADMM-4 meeting, contributing to the establishment of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) as well as the successful organization of the ADMM+ meeting for the first time.

In 2020, under the leadership of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, as the Chairman of the ADMM and ADMM+ in ASEAN Year 2020, the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Retreat (ADMM Retreat) approved the Joint Statement on Defense Cooperation in response to disease outbreaks as well as cohesive capacity in policy and action coordination among member countries.

The joint statement has paved the way for the militaries to bolster cooperation in COVID-19 prevention and control via information and experience sharing, support of medical supplies, cooperation in border crossing control, and the successful organization of virtual exercises on COVID-19 prevention and control of ASEAN military medical forces.

To sum up, over the past time, Vietnam has maintained its proactive and positive and responsible engagement with remarkable contribution to ASEAN.

Translated by Minh Anh