Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Evaluating the ADMM and the
ADMM-Plus
Carlyle A. Thayer
December 5, 2020

We seek your analytical input into the following six issues:

Question 1: In your assessment, how much do you think defence cooperation has
contributed to the building of the ASEAN Political-Security Community?
ANSWER: In 2006, ASEAN’s defence ministers were the last sectoral group to join the
ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC). The APSC covers a wide area of
responsibility including law, human rights, transnational crime, trafficking in persons,
narcotics, radicalisation and terrorism, cyber and other non-traditional security
threats. The APSC does not deal with traditional security threats.
Defence cooperation has taken two forms that both contribute to the APSC. First,
defence cooperation has been institutionalised under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’
Meeting (ADMM). ASEAN Defence Ministers have promoted trust and confidence
through dialogues, table top and command post exercises and field training exercises
in the areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, military medicine and
maritime security.
An important development linking defence and society was the creation of the ASEAN
Defence Establishments and Civil Society Organisations Cooperation on Non-
Traditional Security mechanism.
Second, defence cooperation is carried out on a regional basis through the
establishment of numerous cooperative mechanisms: ASEAN Regional Mine Action
Centre, ASEAN Peacekeeping Centers Network, Use of ASEAN Military Assets and
Capacities in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), ASEAN Centre for
Military Medicine, ASEAN Militaries Ready Group of HADR, ADMM Logistics Support
Framework, ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration, ASEAN Defence Interaction
Program, Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions, and the Network of
ASEAN Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defence Experts.
ASEAN Defence Ministers also have approved concept papers, terms of reference,
frameworks, guidelines, and standard operating procedures for each of the
cooperative defence mechanisms.
It is important to note that 96 percent of the action lines in the APSC Blueprint 2025
have been met, much higher than the 77 percent achieved by the ASEAN Economic
Community Blueprint.
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Question 2: What is your assessment of defence cooperation within ASEAN as well as

between ASEAN and its dialogue partners, especially amidst Covid-19 in 2020?
ANSWER: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for ASEAN-wide defence
cooperation. In February 2020, ASEAN Defence Ministers were proactive in issuing a
Joint Statement on Defence Cooperation Against Disease Outbreaks. The Defence
Ministers resolved: to exchange information and best practices by organising a
tabletop exercise under the ASEAN Center for Military Medicine; to mobilize the
Network of ASEAN Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defence Experts to promote
cooperation to manage infectious disease outbreaks; to cooperate to counter fake-
news on the coronavirus; and to work with other relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies as
well as national health authorities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Question 3: Could you provide an assessment about the roles played by the ADMM
and ADMM+ over recent years?
ANSWER: Since May 2006, the ADMM has created a vertical organisational structure
consisting of the ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Multilateral Meeting, Senior Officials
Meeting (ADSOM), meetings of service chiefs (army, navy, air and intelligence) and
ASEAN Chiefs of Military Medicine Conference.
At the same time, ASEAN Defence Ministers have promoted trust and confidence in
defence cooperation in six main areas counter-terrorism, defence industry,
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, military medicine, and
peacekeeping operations. For example, the ADMM approved Guidelines for Maritime
Interactions and the Guidelines for Air Military Encounter.
In addition, the ADMM has been proactive in promoting defence cooperation through
Expert Working Groups in seven areas with its eight ADMM-Plus dialogue partners
through Expert Working Groups on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief,
Maritime Security, Military Medicine, Counter-Terrorism, Peacekeeping Operations,
Humanitarian Mine Action and Cyber Security. The forthcoming 7th ADMM-Plus in
Hanoi will review and adopt the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Groups Work Plans
2021-2023.
Question 4: What has Vietnam contributed to the ADMM and ADMM+ over the past
years?
ANSWER: Vietnam has consistently supported the establishment and institutional
growth of both the ADMM and the ADMM-Plus. Vietnam consistently advocates
practical measures of defence cooperation. Vietnam played a key role in the evolution
of the ASEAN Chiefs of Navy from an informal process to a more structured annual
meeting.
On 6th November, Vietnam hosted the virtual 14th ASEAN Chiefs of Navy Meeting
(ACNM). Rear Admiral Tran Thanh Nghiem, chief of the Vietnam People’s Navy, called
for the improvement of information sharing through the Information Fusion Centre
and hotlines between navies. He also called for holding multilateral naval exercises
and seminars under the ANCM.
Vietnam promoted the idea of the ADMM-Plus and hosted the inaugural meeting in
Hanoi in 2010.
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Question 5: Vietnamese defense senior officials have reiterated that despite the
pandemic, as the Chair of the ADMM and ADMM+ in 2020, Vietnam has not and will
not let the Covid-19 disrupt defence cooperation within ASEAN as well as between
ASEAN and its dialogue partners. Could you provide your assessment about this
statement as well as Vietnam as the Chair of the ADMM and ADMM+ in 2020?
ANSWER: Vietnam began its term as ASEAN Chair 2020 by hosting the ASEAN Defence
Ministers Retreat in Hanoi in February. That meeting adopted a joint statement on
defence cooperation to deal with the coronavirus.
In March, Vietnam hosted the 13th annual meeting and 5th retreat of the Track 2
Network of ASEAN Defence and Security Institutions (NADI). Deputy Minister of
National Defence, LT GEN Nguyen Chi Vinh called on NADI to play a proactive role in
analysing, assessing and forecasting risks to defence and security, to suggest
responses, and provide consultancy advice on security partnerships for each country
and NADI.
Also in March, Vietnam hosted a virtual meeting of the Board of Directors of the
ASEAN Center for Military Medicine. MAJ GEN Nguyen Xuan Kien, Director of the
Department of Military Medicine, hosted the meeting. He suggested a joint disease
prevention and information exchange exercise among ASEAN military medical forces
and professional training to combat COVID-19.
Since March, COVID-19 has prevented ASEAN defence officials from meeting face-to-
face. Vietnam had to cancel an ASEAN and international fleet review and an
international conference on maritime security due to COVID-19. Vietnam responded
to the COVID-19 challenge by holding virtual meetings. For example, the ASEAN
Defence Senior Officials Meeting was held by video conference in May. This meeting
discussed an online epidemic response drill. LT GEN Vinh spoke to the meeting about
Vietnam’s response including using military barracks to quarantine those infected by
the coronavirus, producing COVID-19 test kits, managing border crossings, and sharing
information and support with outside countries.
Vietnam will host a virtual celebration of the tenth anniversary of the ADMM-Plus at
the 7th ADMM-Plus meeting this week.
Question 6: How relevant do you think “Defense cooperation for a Cohesive and
Responsive ASEAN” as the theme of ASEAN defense meetings in 2020 is to
contemporary security environment?
ANSWER: The theme “Defense Cooperation for a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN”
was entirely appropriate for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the
ADMM and ADMM-Plus have addressed non-traditional security threats in the past
no challenge was more threatening than the coronavirus. The ADMM joint statement
in February 2020 was unequivocal that Defence Ministers “remain resolutely
committed to doing our part, and staying united to overcome the Covid-19 outbreak
for the benefit of the people of ASEAN.”

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Evaluating the ADMM and the ADMM-Plus,”
Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, December 5, 2020. All background briefs are
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Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.