ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - Defense ministers and senior defense officials from the 10 ASEAN countries, along with their Asia-Pacific neighbors, will meet here Thursday at the second ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).

The following are some key facts about the ADMM-Plus:

The ADMM-Plus Concept Paper was adopted at the 2nd ADMM in Singapore in 2007. The meeting is described as "a tool to engage ASEAN Dialogue Partners in dialogue and cooperation on defense and security matters," according to the ADMM website.

The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on October12, 2010, participated by 18 states, namely the 10 ASEAN countries as well as Australia, China, Japan, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

At the first ADMM-Plus, defense ministers agreed on five areas of practical cooperation to pursue under this new mechanism, including maritime security, counter-terrorism, disaster management, peacekeeping operations and military medicine.

The ASEAN defense ministers agreed to increase the frequency of the ADMM-Plus to once every two years from the original plan of three years at the 6th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) in Phnom Penh on May 29, 2012, as the ADMM-Plus cooperation has witnessed considerable progress.

The ADMM-Plus members also held the first Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise in Brunei Darussalam in June this year.

Following the 7th ADMM held earlier in May this year in Brunei Darussalam, the 7th ADMM Retreat will also be staged ahead of the second ADMM-Plus here on Wednesday.