HAWAII, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 22 – 25 AUGUST 2022 – The 17th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security (ADMM-Plus EWG MS) was held from 22-25 August 2022, at the Daniel K.Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii, United States of American.
Representing the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) were Commander Haji Edy Jofren bin PDP DP Colonel (R) Haji Abdul Jalil, RBN from the Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) and Lieutenant Commander Abu Qusyairi bin Haji Yacob, RBN from the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN). All ten ASEAN member states and eight Plus-countries were represented in the meeting, with 71 attendees comprising 34 in-person and 37 virtual pariticipants.
With the theme “Strengthening Maritime Security Cooperation for Sustainable Development of ASEAN Member States’ Economies”, a keynote address was delivered by Major General McPhillips, who empasised the significance of ASEAN in the Pacific region and the competitive trade within the Indo-Pacific Region. He concluded by underlining the importance of practical cooperation towards expanding the comprehensive strategic partnership through resilience in pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Also present as a guest speaker was Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, who delivered a presentation on “Security and stability in the Indo-Pacific”. The meeting also discussed the Maritime Security Roadmap Development 2040 and Final Planning Conference (FPC) on Maritime Security Exercise, which aims to increase interoperability and confidence-building among members. The Royal Thailand Navy also convened the FPC for the next Table-top Exercise (TTX) and 18th ADMM-Plus EWG MS, which will be conducted in Bangkok, Thailand from 20th to 24th February 2023.
The ADMM plus EWG-MS is a platform under the auspices of the ADMM that explores areas of maritime security cooperation to address the challenges related to climate change and sea-level rise.
