Chiefs of ASEAN militaries to meet in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – Manila will host high-level meetings between the top military officers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

They will be here for the ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM) scheduled from Wednesday to Friday, May 17 to May 19, but side meetings will already start on Monday, May 15.

The chiefs of militaries will also be joined by senior operations and intelligence officers who will be attending the Military Operations and Military Intelligence Informal Meetings.

“The meetings will bolster the ASEAN militaries’ collective experience and resolve to combat modern global security challenges; and ensure that we are on the same page in our approaches to threats such as piracy and terrorism,” said AFP chief General Eduardo Año.

“Our hosting of these events is also timely in our hopes to cement our position in the ASEAN as a global partner and fully capable military, responsive to local and regional issues through consistent cooperation and innovation,” Año added.

Regular meetings

The military officers who regularly meet in bilateral and multilateral engagements are expected to further discuss maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, counterterrorism, infectious disease management, and peacekeeping.

Colonel Edgard Arevalo, chief of the AFP public affairs office, said these annual meetings provide opportunity to “discuss and assess in a very strategic, comprehensive, positive, and productive manner all prominent issues and concerns of mutual interests.”

“It encourages common perspectives and understanding for promoting and fostering strong relationships and security cooperation in the region,” Arevalo said.

“It will have high-level discussions on common concerns that were raised in the ASEAN Summit and Defense Ministers’ meetings,” he added. – Rappler.com