Security remains a sensitive
concern for all in the Asia-Pacific. Military
officers are not exempted from such concerns.
For a consensus to emerge on the management
of security concerns and for building lasting
peace in the region, it behoves all interested
parties to dedicate themselves to dialogues
and consultations, and through that process
build mutual confidence.
In the absence of
any informal mechanism for military officers
to interact on a regional scale and make
a significant contribution towards achieving
such ends, the Institute of Defence and Strategic
Studies (IDSS) in Singapore held the inaugural “Summer
Camp” in August 1999 for senior military
officers in the Asia-Pacific (as well as
several European countries) to meet and deepen
personal relationships, as well as share
knowledge about military and security developments
that would be of professional interest to
them. Through this process, it is hoped that
military officers could make their contribution
towards fostering a healthy environment conducive
to the maintenance of peace and prosperity
in the region – an activity which has
hitherto been the preserve of diplomats,
officials and academics.
The success of the
previous six gatherings has encouraged the
School to organise the event again this
year. Renamed “The Asia-Pacific Programme
for Senior Military Officers” in 2002,
the main objective is to provide a venue
and opportunity for prospective senior military
officers of the region to acquaint themselves
with their counterparts. This objective fits
in with RSIS’s remit of fostering closer
ties and working relationships between defence
officials, military officers, and strategic
studies analysts in the region, and of nurturing
a network of defence thinkers and planners.
The objective will be achieved via two main
activities:
One is through Lectures
and informal discussion. This will give participants
the opportunity to learn about and update
their knowledge of, trends and developments
in defence and security-related issues in
the 21st century. The interactive discussion
format will enable them to get a feel of
the developments which are professionally
significant and about which they should be
acquainted. RSIS intends to bring prominent
speakers/teachers in the field of military-security
affairs to speak on topics such as New Dimensions
in International Security, American Power
in the 21st Century, The Rise of China: Regional
Responses, Peacekeeping Operations and Coping
with Terrorism.
The other is through
Social recreational activities. These activities
will give the participants the opportunity
to interact with each other in an informal
and relaxed atmosphere. Activities such as
swimming, golf, team sports, and sight-seeing
will be planned for the afternoons. The idea
is to keep the schedule light in the afternoons
so as to afford plenty of time and opportunity
for the officers to relax in recreational
activities.
To bring this project
to fruition and avoid any misunderstanding
that this is inspired by sources, other than
Singapore, RSIS will raise money for this
project from within Singapore.
RSIS has set up an APPSMO Alumni database that incorporates
the contact details of all the APPSMO participant.
The purpose of this
database is to enable past-participants to
stay in touch with each other.
Networking