Welcome Remarks by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, at the 21st Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)

30 July 2019

Tuesday, 30 July 2019, 0900HRS
Village Hotel Changi, Singapore

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman,
Honourable Guests, Distinguished Speakers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), welcome to the 21^st Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO).

Since its inauguration in 1999, APPSMO has grown in scale and prominence. On behalf of RSIS, I would like to thank everyone who has made this possible.

The vision of APPSMO is to bring together senior military officers and defence experts in an academic setting. We want to engage the best and the brightest from all countries represented in the annual APPSMO and contribute to regional peace and stability. This is a place to share ideas and to listen patiently, learn from each other, and also engage in constructive debate. Through such exchanges, friendships across borders have been forged. We hope these networks grow in scope and depth.

Today, APPSMO is proud to have over 1,100 alumni from 20 years of organising this Programme. Some have advanced to become key appointment holders in their respective country’s militaries and we are proud to be associated with them. Many others have become service chiefs before retiring from active duty. RSIS is honoured to have hosted them at APPSMO.

[In jest] Ladies and Gentlemen, look around you, the person seated next to you now may become Chief of Defence in the not too distant future.

I want to thank our speakers for helping to lay the foundation for APPSMO’s growth as a premium exchange for senior military officials and their non-uniformed policy colleagues.

To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of APPSMO in 2019, RSIS launched the APPSMO Distinguished Alumni Speakers Series. As part of this series, we have had two distinguished alumni speakers thus far. Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Chan Chun Sing (who is also the former Chief of Army), spoke on the “Evolution of Singapore’s Approach towards Total Defence” on Singapore’s Total Defence Day, Feb 15, 2019. Yesterday, Brigadier General Ng Ying Thong, Commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, spoke on “SAF’s Value in Peace and Related Operational Lessons”. We will continue to invite distinguished APPSMO alumni to speak as part of this series.

This year’s theme, “Security Challenges and Opportunities in the Asia Pacific”, addresses a range of questions and issues regarding the changing nature of security dynamics in the Asia Pacific and beyond. We have lined up prominent scholars, experts and policymakers to explore and to discuss how strategic planning and defence relations can be done well in order to maintain peace and stability. Through panel sessions and a Distinguished Lecture, our speakers will discuss topics such as

geopolitics,
the future of conflict,
humanitarian emergencies,
information and cyber warfare,
non-traditional security, and

It is not easy to assemble such a team of qualified individuals, and for so many days. I hope all our participants will pick their brains and ask the most pressing questions related to your work during the question-and-answer sessions and the syndicated discussions.

In addition, we are fortunate to have with us today Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman.

Of course, the APPSMO experience would be incomplete without the building of friendships and networks when you are here this week. Every participant plays an important role in making APPSMO a success, so you are building on a strong tradition by being here.

Finally, I would like to thank our sponsors, the Ministry of Defence, for their continued support. I wish you all a stimulating conference ahead.

I would now like to invite on stage, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, to deliver the Keynote Address.

Thank you.

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