Military forces in the Asia-Pacific region can work together on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, said Second Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing in his keynote address at the start of a five-day conference for military officers on Tuesday (5 Aug).

Singapore’s proposal to set up a Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre –  first mooted by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in April this year – reflects its commitment to play its part, said Mr Chan. This centre, which will be set up at Changi Naval Base, is expected to strengthen humanitarian and disaster relief efforts in the region.

Counter-terrorism is another area that would benefit from regional cooperation, said Mr Chan. Apart from information-sharing, it is important that countries do not let terrorists exploit gaps in bilateral cooperation for their own benefit, he stressed.

… Associate Professor Ralf Emmers, Associate Dean at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that the role of the military has continued to evolve as technology develops and the nature of threats change. “During the 20th century, the threat was predominantly inter-state conflict. It looks like in the 21st century, we’re looking at transnational threats, terrorism and other forms of transnational activities as a predominant threat.”