ASEAN defense ministers advocate regional stability, security
Gusty Da Costa
Promoting stability through multilateral defense diplomacy during heightened regional tensions was a focus of Southeast Asian defense leaders and counterparts from elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific during the 10th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, or ADMM-Plus, in Jakarta, Indonesia, in November 2023.
Defense ministers from nine of the 10 ASEAN countries participated, along with those from the eight ASEAN Dialogue Partners: Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia, South Korea and the United States.
ASEAN member Myanmar, mired in civil war since a February 2021 military coup, was not represented.
Ten documents were adopted at the meeting, including: a concept paper on implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) from a defense perspective; a draft revision of the standard operational procedures for the ASEAN Our Eyes intelligence platform; and one on the use of military assets to support regional food security.
Singapore Defence Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto emphasized the forum’s value at a time of tensions.
Participants “did not seek to sweep troubled spots under the carpet as if they did not exist,” Eng said. Rather, they came to discuss critical regional security challenges and “make progress in these difficult issues.”
Prabowo said efforts are ongoing to establish a South China Sea code of conduct to avoid “misunderstanding” in the critical waterway. “There may be incidents that happen against our will, so we don’t want to increase tension,” he said.
Prabowo also noted the conflict in Myanmar. “ASEAN holds the principle of not wanting to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,” he said. “But we will use our influence … to push towards a peaceful settlement.”
Prabowo met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus to sign a Defense Cooperation Agreement between their governments. Prabowo said the meeting was an invaluable opportunity to increase collaboration and deepen awareness of Southeast Asia’s dynamic security situation. An essential area of cooperation with the U.S. is to increase ASEAN’s capabilities to face evolving challenges, he said.
“Let us seize this opportunity to build a stronger and more resilient Indo-Pacific region, a place of peace, prosperity and security,” Prabowo said.
By advocating for AOIP implementation from a defense perspective, the ministers took an important position in support of ASEAN security, independence and prosperity, Nikolaus Loy, an international relations expert at UPN “Veteran” University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, told FORUM.
“This independent position emphasizes peace, stability and economic growth in the Indo-Pacific region, pursued through open and inclusive cooperation in maritime, economic and development areas,” he said.
Given the PRC’s military buildup and “efforts to become a global power,” as well as nontraditional threats such as narcotics and human trafficking, natural disasters and pandemics, defense cooperation is increasingly important, Loy noted. “These factors make it impossible for any one country to maintain regional stability due to the enormous costs and risks involved.”
The ADMM-Plus could soon expand, Prabowo said, with guidelines adopted in November to grant observer status to Timor-Leste, an independent nation since 2002 that is set to become ASEAN’s 11th member. The European Union, France and the United Kingdom also are interested in sending representatives to ADMM-Plus meetings, he said.
Gusty Da Costa is a FORUM contributor reporting from Jakarta, Indonesia.
