BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Tuesday 9 December 2014 – The Second Workshop of the Establishment of Logistics Support Framework begins today at The Centrepoint Hotel, Brunei Darussalam.
Opening the programme this morning was Acting Permanent Secretary (Administration and Finance), Haji Azhar bin Haji Ahmad.
In his welcoming remarks, Haji Azhar highlighted the importance of the role of defence and military in disaster management in our region that has witnessed a number of disasters over the past decade. Hence the responsibility of the ASEAN Member States to develop a more coordinated guidelines for military assistance to disaster response is real and pressing. He further expressed that the Establishment of a Logistics Support Framework initiative underlines the ASEAN Defence Ministers' commitment to further strengthen regional cooperation, and to contribute to regional peace, security and stability by enhancing coordination and interoperability.
The Second Workshop is a follow up to the First Workshop that was held in April 2014 in Bandar Seri Begawan, that laid the foundation for the drafting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Logistics Support Framework which will provide doctrine and guidance for the planning and execution of logistics in support of ASEAN militaries during disaster.
The workshop brings in participation from the ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat. The three-day programme will include presentations from four panel speakers from United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot of the World Food Programme, Combined Maritime Forces, United States Pacific Command, and Peace Operations Training Institute. The workshop will then continue with further discussions and considerations on the drafting of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Logistics Support Framework.
The concept of a Logistics Support Framework was adopted by the 7th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting in Brunei Darussalam in May 2013. It aims to enhance ASEAN's capacity, develop further capabilities, strengthen interoperability and thus, contribute to operational effectiveness and efficiency in ASEAN militaries in addressing non-traditional security challenges.