Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
US-ASEAN Defense
Ministers Meet in
Hawaii
The meeting marks the first time
ASEAN ministers have met in the
United States.
Last year at the Shangri-La Dialogue,
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
extended a public invitation to all 10 of
his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to join
him in Hawaii for informal discussions.
The inaugural U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum was held from April 1-3 in Honolulu. This
marked the first occasion that ASEAN Defense Ministers had met in the United States.
Prior to his arrival in Honolulu, Secretary Hagel told reporters on his plane, “I want
those defense ministers after they leave Hawaii to feel even more clarity about U.S.
commitment to the area, our coordination, our communication, the areas we can
cooperate more and more and more [sic] and certainly humanitarian assistance,
disaster relief is one (area).”
According to a senior U.S. defense official, the U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum comprised
three segments: visits to military bases and the regional tsunami threat and detection
center and a round-table on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) on
April 2nd, and an informal dialogue on regional security issues on April 3.
On April 2, the ASEAN defense ministers toured Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
where they were shown both high-end military capabilities, such as B-52 and B2
bombers and F-22 fighters, as well as a C-17 configured for medical evacuation as part
of HA/DR operations.
The defense ministers also paid a visit to the USS Anchorage (LPD 23), an
amphibious transport dock. The USS Anchorage houses an advanced command and
control center. It is capable of embarking landing craft air cushion and amphibious
assault vehicles as well as the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The USS
Anchorage also equipped with advanced medical facilities.
By Carl Thayer
April 11, 2014
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 1 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
In sum, the USS Anchorage is capable of conducting ship-to-shore missions ranging
from combat to delivering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
At a media briefing held on the deck of the USS Anchorage, Secretary Hagel noted,
“we also focused on our military-to-military relationships and joint exercises that we
continue to strengthen and deepen and widen.”
Admiral Samuel Locklear III, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, accompanied
the ASEAN defense ministers. They were shown a demonstration of the Osprey’s
capabilities from the flight deck. Admiral Locklear discussed maritime domain
awareness and security cooperation with his guests.
The ASEAN defense ministers also toured the National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Inoyue Regional Centre where they were
briefed by Pacific Tsunami Warning Center staff on climate change, rising
temperatures, sea level rise, typhoons and tsunamis.
The second segment of the US-ASEAN Defense Forum included a roundtable held at
Inouye Regional Center hosted by NOAA’s administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, and
moderated by Dr. Rajiv Shah, the head of the U.S. Agency for International
Development. In addition to the ASEAN defense ministers, the round-table included
representatives from the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, federal
agencies, and the commercial sector.
The round-table focused on HA/DR, non-traditional security preparedness, and the
lessons learned from recent experiences.
Dr. Shah quoted from the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change that the Asia-Pacific is victim to more than 70 percent of all recorded natural
disasters. Therefore it was necessary for governments to collaborate and work
together to mitigate the impact of typhoons, flooding, and other extreme weather
events.
Singapore’s Defense Minister, Ng Eng Hen, proposed using Changi Naval Base as a
regional HA/DR crisis coordination center. The center would operate 24/7 and could
be scaled up in response to natural disaster. According to Minister Ng,
We evolved a concept, we call it ‘plug and play.’ We set up terminals, you
bring in your systems, you give the information you feel comfortable
with… We take all that information, fuse it and then pump it out. It’s
worked quite well.
Secretary Hagel noted, “This could be an important venue for nations in the region to
co-ordinate military responses to disasters and it’s an idea that we’re going to pursue.”
The third and final segment of the Defense Forum included an informal session on
regional security issues. According to press reports the defense ministers touched on
maritime security, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Russia’s annexation of
Crimea, the role of NATO in bringing European nations together to deal with the
Crimean crisis, and U.S. fiscal restraints.
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 2 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
The Defense Forum ended with a press conference. Secretary Hagel opened his
remarks by noting that the first U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum “was an important
milestone in America’s growing engagement with the ASEAN nations, and another
signal of the important role ASEAN has to play in promoting regional stability and
prosperity.”
Referring to the round-table on HA/DR the previous day, Secretary Hagel noted,
“natural disasters and humanitarian crisis will be defining security challenges of the
21st century, not only for Southeast Asia, but for the world.”
Finally, Secretary Hagel revealed that during the informal session on regional
security,
I told the ministers that the United States is increasingly concerned about
the instability arising from territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The rights of nations must be respected. It’s important that all claimants
avoid the use of force or threat of force or intimidation or coercion. We
urge all claimants in these disputes to clarify their claims, including their
basis in international law, and to use internationally-accepted rules and
standards of behavior.
The ASEAN Defense Ministers also issued a joint statement in which they noted, “We
believe that Malaysia has done its level best in responding to the disappearance of
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and subsequent efforts to locate the missing plane.”
Immediately after the Defense Forum concluded Secretary Hagel left for his fourth
official trip to the Asia-Pacific Region, including stops in Japan, China, and Mongolia.
On April 8, Secretary Hagel met with Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of China’s
Central Military Commission, in Beijing. Fan was unusually blunt in his public
remarks,
I can tell you frankly, your remarks made in the ASEAN defense
ministers meeting and to the Japanese politicians were tough, and with a
clear attitude. The Chinese people, including myself, are dissatisfied with
such remarks.
Secretary Hagel and the U.S. Defense Department struck the right chord in hosting
the inaugural U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum. This meeting focused on a priority
concern of ASEAN states: whole of government approaches and military-to-military
cooperation to deal with Southeast Asia’s top non-traditional security issue, disaster
response and humanitarian assistance.
Importantly, Secretary Hagel underscored the central importance of ASEAN and
continued U.S. commitment to rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific.
After their tour of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, no ASEAN defense ministers
would have been in doubt about conventional capabilities of the U.S. armed forces to
contribute to regional security. At the same time, defense ministers would have been
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 3 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
impressed by the ability of the U.S. military to instantly convert major war fighting
platforms into delivery platforms for HA/DR missions.
On April 2, Secretary Hage, was asked at a press conference if he had any plans to
make the U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum an annual event. He replied, “that’s not my
decision. That is the ASEAN ministers’ decision.”
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 4 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
US-ASEAN Defense
Ministers Meet in
Hawaii
The meeting marks the first time
ASEAN ministers have met in the
United States.
Last year at the Shangri-La Dialogue,
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
extended a public invitation to all 10 of
his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to join
him in Hawaii for informal discussions.
The inaugural U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum was held from April 1-3 in Honolulu. This
marked the first occasion that ASEAN Defense Ministers had met in the United States.
Prior to his arrival in Honolulu, Secretary Hagel told reporters on his plane, “I want
those defense ministers after they leave Hawaii to feel even more clarity about U.S.
commitment to the area, our coordination, our communication, the areas we can
cooperate more and more and more [sic] and certainly humanitarian assistance,
disaster relief is one (area).”
According to a senior U.S. defense official, the U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum comprised
three segments: visits to military bases and the regional tsunami threat and detection
center and a round-table on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) on
April 2nd, and an informal dialogue on regional security issues on April 3.
On April 2, the ASEAN defense ministers toured Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
where they were shown both high-end military capabilities, such as B-52 and B2
bombers and F-22 fighters, as well as a C-17 configured for medical evacuation as part
of HA/DR operations.
The defense ministers also paid a visit to the USS Anchorage (LPD 23), an
amphibious transport dock. The USS Anchorage houses an advanced command and
control center. It is capable of embarking landing craft air cushion and amphibious
assault vehicles as well as the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. The USS
Anchorage also equipped with advanced medical facilities.
By Carl Thayer
April 11, 2014
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 1 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
In sum, the USS Anchorage is capable of conducting ship-to-shore missions ranging
from combat to delivering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
At a media briefing held on the deck of the USS Anchorage, Secretary Hagel noted,
“we also focused on our military-to-military relationships and joint exercises that we
continue to strengthen and deepen and widen.”
Admiral Samuel Locklear III, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, accompanied
the ASEAN defense ministers. They were shown a demonstration of the Osprey’s
capabilities from the flight deck. Admiral Locklear discussed maritime domain
awareness and security cooperation with his guests.
The ASEAN defense ministers also toured the National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Inoyue Regional Centre where they were
briefed by Pacific Tsunami Warning Center staff on climate change, rising
temperatures, sea level rise, typhoons and tsunamis.
The second segment of the US-ASEAN Defense Forum included a roundtable held at
Inouye Regional Center hosted by NOAA’s administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, and
moderated by Dr. Rajiv Shah, the head of the U.S. Agency for International
Development. In addition to the ASEAN defense ministers, the round-table included
representatives from the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, federal
agencies, and the commercial sector.
The round-table focused on HA/DR, non-traditional security preparedness, and the
lessons learned from recent experiences.
Dr. Shah quoted from the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change that the Asia-Pacific is victim to more than 70 percent of all recorded natural
disasters. Therefore it was necessary for governments to collaborate and work
together to mitigate the impact of typhoons, flooding, and other extreme weather
events.
Singapore’s Defense Minister, Ng Eng Hen, proposed using Changi Naval Base as a
regional HA/DR crisis coordination center. The center would operate 24/7 and could
be scaled up in response to natural disaster. According to Minister Ng,
We evolved a concept, we call it ‘plug and play.’ We set up terminals, you
bring in your systems, you give the information you feel comfortable
with… We take all that information, fuse it and then pump it out. It’s
worked quite well.
Secretary Hagel noted, “This could be an important venue for nations in the region to
co-ordinate military responses to disasters and it’s an idea that we’re going to pursue.”
The third and final segment of the Defense Forum included an informal session on
regional security issues. According to press reports the defense ministers touched on
maritime security, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Russia’s annexation of
Crimea, the role of NATO in bringing European nations together to deal with the
Crimean crisis, and U.S. fiscal restraints.
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 2 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
The Defense Forum ended with a press conference. Secretary Hagel opened his
remarks by noting that the first U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum “was an important
milestone in America’s growing engagement with the ASEAN nations, and another
signal of the important role ASEAN has to play in promoting regional stability and
prosperity.”
Referring to the round-table on HA/DR the previous day, Secretary Hagel noted,
“natural disasters and humanitarian crisis will be defining security challenges of the
21st century, not only for Southeast Asia, but for the world.”
Finally, Secretary Hagel revealed that during the informal session on regional
security,
I told the ministers that the United States is increasingly concerned about
the instability arising from territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The rights of nations must be respected. It’s important that all claimants
avoid the use of force or threat of force or intimidation or coercion. We
urge all claimants in these disputes to clarify their claims, including their
basis in international law, and to use internationally-accepted rules and
standards of behavior.
The ASEAN Defense Ministers also issued a joint statement in which they noted, “We
believe that Malaysia has done its level best in responding to the disappearance of
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and subsequent efforts to locate the missing plane.”
Immediately after the Defense Forum concluded Secretary Hagel left for his fourth
official trip to the Asia-Pacific Region, including stops in Japan, China, and Mongolia.
On April 8, Secretary Hagel met with Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of China’s
Central Military Commission, in Beijing. Fan was unusually blunt in his public
remarks,
I can tell you frankly, your remarks made in the ASEAN defense
ministers meeting and to the Japanese politicians were tough, and with a
clear attitude. The Chinese people, including myself, are dissatisfied with
such remarks.
Secretary Hagel and the U.S. Defense Department struck the right chord in hosting
the inaugural U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum. This meeting focused on a priority
concern of ASEAN states: whole of government approaches and military-to-military
cooperation to deal with Southeast Asia’s top non-traditional security issue, disaster
response and humanitarian assistance.
Importantly, Secretary Hagel underscored the central importance of ASEAN and
continued U.S. commitment to rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific.
After their tour of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, no ASEAN defense ministers
would have been in doubt about conventional capabilities of the U.S. armed forces to
contribute to regional security. At the same time, defense ministers would have been
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 3 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
impressed by the ability of the U.S. military to instantly convert major war fighting
platforms into delivery platforms for HA/DR missions.
On April 2, Secretary Hage, was asked at a press conference if he had any plans to
make the U.S.-ASEAN Defense Forum an annual event. He replied, “that’s not my
decision. That is the ASEAN ministers’ decision.”
US-ASEAN Defense Ministers Meet in Hawaii | The Diplomat Page 4 of 4
http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/us-asean-defense-ministers-meet-in-hawaii/ 12/04/2014
No comments:
Post a Comment