ASEAN militaries agree to team up for disasters
ASEAN militaries agree to team up for disasters
HUA HIN, Thailand (AFP): Southeast Asian army commanders pledged at their first ever meeting Tuesday to devise ways their forces could join together to handle humanitarian disasters in the region.
"We have agreed to cooperate more closely on disaster relief cooperation, for situations which are beyond the capabilities of a single nation to deal with," said Thailand's army commander Gen. Surayud Chulanont.
"We will now begin to work on the details of how we can help each other."
A memorandum of understanding would be drafted by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officials and handed to member governments in January for their approval, he said after the one- day meet.
Surayud downplayed suggestions that the absence of army chiefs from Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam from the gathering in this Thai resort town would leave the three nations outside the agreement and hamper the new initiative.
"We will not enforce cooperation by any country -- if they want to cooperate then they can," he said, adding that neither would it impinge on ASEAN's policy of non-interference in member nations' affairs.
The Thai chief said the next meeting of ASEAN commanders would be held in the Philippines next year, paving the way for it to become an annual fixture.
"It's possible that it will be held every year from now on," he said.
U.S. army chief Eric Shinseki, a guest speaker at the meeting, said such exchanges were a vital part of his army's efforts to come to grips with future challenges and create a more responsive and versatile force.
And exercises like the "Cobra Gold" annual war games in Thailand were an important tool for militaries to learn how to deal with their new post-Cold War duties, he said.
"Ultimately, these sharing efforts will pay off in the operational arena in the conduct of peacekeeping, counterdrug and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief missions."
"As we transform the army to be more strategically responsive to crises around the globe, we will take the lessons of those operations and share them with our partners as we strive to improve our capabilities."
Shinseki said the shortcomings of the US army had been exposed in the 10 years since the Cold War ended.
"Frankly, our heavy forces are too heavy, and our light forces lack staying power," he said. "To address these shortcomings, we have decided to undertake our most comprehensive transformation effort in over a century."
At the opening ceremony of the ASEAN meeting on Tuesday, Surayud said strong links between Southeast Asian militaries would help boost regional security and improve disaster response capabilities.
"Though regional stability remains basically sound, there are still some security issues of common concern that will challenge us as we enter into the next millennium," he said.
"Security dialog and cooperation among ASEAN chiefs of armies can contribute to regional peace and security."
Economic prosperity depended on efforts to work together to "build and strengthen a stable and peaceful region," he said. "Regional defense establishments will convey a strong message of the region's determination to preserve peace and stability."
However, that image of unity took a severe knock as the army chiefs assembled in this resort town without their counterparts from Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos, who had all said busy schedules would keep them away.
The Thai hosts have tried to downplay the significance of the trio's decision to instead send deputies, insisting they were happy to have secured the attendance of seven army chiefs for the inaugural meeting.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.