ADMM and ADMM+ are the two most important regional defense cooperation events. On the occasion of the upcoming 14th ADMM and 7th ADMM+, the Vietnam People’s Army Newspaper (PAN) gives an insight into Vietnam’s contribution to ASEAN’s peace, stability and prosperity in general, and regional defense and security cooperation in particular.
The highest-level regional defense cooperation mechanism
ADMM is an important part of the ASEAN Political and Security Community as it creates a framework for dialogues and consultations at the defense minister level on regional strategic defense and security issues as well as boosts defense and security cooperation in the region.
The initiative on the establishment of ADMM was adopted at the 10th ASEAN Summit in Laos in 2004. The first ADMM was successfully held in Malaysia in 2006, opening a new regional defense cooperation mechanism. Since then the organization of ADMM has always been prioritized by all ASEAN member countries as every country has comprehended that the regional defense cooperation mechanism could help promote peace, stability and security of each regional country and the region as a whole.
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Delegates attending the ADMM Retreat in Hanoi (February 2020) pose for a photo. |
The ADMM mechanism has become perfect and more effective over the past years. Today, ADMM is the highest-level ASEAN defense and security cooperation mechanism, which aims to help ASEAN member countries to bolster cooperation to respond effectively to arising security challenges, maintain a stable and peaceful regional environment via dialogues and defense cooperation, build confidence among ASEAN member countries, and cement internal unity to build the ASEAN Political and Security Community.
The 13 previous ADMMs have seen a large number of initiatives and ideas, some of which are still being implemented. Speaking to the PAN, Professor Carlyle Thayer at New South Wales University (Australia) stressed that ADMM has contributed importantly to the building of the ASEAN Political and Security Community.
According to him, ASEAN defense and security cooperation has been strengthened since the first ADMM in 2006. Within the ADMM framework, a number of initiatives have been successfully implemented, such as the ASEAN Peacekeeping Centers Network (APCN), ASEAN Defense Industry Cooperation (ADIC), ASEAN Defense Interaction Program, ADMM Logistics Support Framework (LSF), ASEAN Center of Military Medicine (ACMM), ASEAN Military Ready Group on Human Assistance and Disaster Relief (AMRG on HADR), and Network of ASEAN CBR Defense Experts.
Over the past years, defense ministers of ASEAN member countries have adopted concepts, frameworks, guidelines, standard procedures for every initiative on regional defense and security cooperation, the Australian author underscored. He added that ADMM has facilitated confidence building among regional countries and contributed to shaping and boosting regional defense and security cooperation in six major fields, namely anti-terrorism, defense industry, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, military medicine, and peacekeeping operations.
Additionally, ADMM has strengthened defense and security cooperation between the bloc and its eight partners: Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, Russia and the U.S. The cooperation between ASEAN and its partners has clearly reflected in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, anti-terrorism, maritime security, military medicine, mine action, cyber security, and peacekeeping operations.
Vietnam’s contribution to ADMM
With its policy to be a proactive and responsible member of ASEAN, Vietnam has contributed positively to the building and development of the ASEAN Political and Security Community as well as to ASEAN defense and security cooperation.
Facts over the past years have showed that Vietnam has been playing an increasingly active role in the multilateral defense and security mechanism of ADMM. Vietnam has made a contribution to the establishment and development of ADMM.
Since the inception of ADMM, Vietnam has given a number of initiatives to develop the mechanism and expand regional defense and security cooperation with the ADMM framework. Vietnam has always sought approaches to making ASEAN defense and security be more effective and achieve practical outcomes in the ADMM framework.
Important initiatives proposed by Vietnam at ADMM editions include no first use of force in any situations; cooperation in search and rescue at sea; expansion of cooperation between/among ASEAN navies via joint naval patrol and naval exchange; and establishment of hotlines between regional defense and military leaders.
Especially, Vietnam successfully organized the fourth ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting in 2010. Regarding Vietnam’s contribution to regional defense and security cooperation, Professor Carlyle Thayer said, Vietnam played an important role in upgrading the ASEAN naval exchange to the ASEAN Naval Chiefs Meeting mechanism. Vietnam has given valuable initiatives to ADMM, contributing to boosting regional defense and security cooperation and creating a peaceful, stable and secure environment for development in the region, underlined the Australian expert.
Translated by Thu Nguyen