THE 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Armies Multilateral Meeting (ACAMM) and the 8th ASEAN Sergeant Majors Annual Meeting (ASMAM) were held concurrently in Melaka, Malaysia on Monday.
Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF) Brigadier General Dato Seri Pahlawan Khairul Hamed bin Haji Lampoh led a delegation to the 19th ACAMM.
Chief of Army of the Malaysian Army General Dato’ Seri Haji Ahmad Hasbullah bin Haji Mohd Nawawi hosted the ACAMM which was themed ‘Fostering Camaraderie.’
In his keynote address, Minister of Defence Malaysia Haji Mohamad bin Sabu emphasised the prominence of threats to the ASEAN region by non-state actors, especially terrorism. He hailed ASEAN’s ability as a multicultural organisation to work together towards ensuring peace in the region.
Meanwhile, Chief of Army of the Malaysian Army stressed the need for ASEAN armies to continue working together to overcome the transnational challenges. All ASEAN Chiefs of Armies also shared their views on security issues affecting the region and discussed new initiatives in enhancing defence cooperation among the ASEAN armies.
ACAMM, an annual meeting conducted since 2000, is hosted by every ASEAN Army on a rotational basis. This meeting has become an important platform that contributes to the strengthening of unity and cooperation among the ASEAN armies.
The 20th ACAMM will be hosted by Republic of Indonesia in November 2019.
On the sidelines of the ACAMM, the Commander of the RBLF also held bilateral meetings with the Chiefs of Army from the ASEAN member countries. In these meetings, the camaraderie among the ASEAN member countries were reiterated through recognition of bilateral and multilateral defence engagements in a reflection of this year’s ACAMM theme.
Conducted concurrently with the ACAMM, the 8th ASMAM was attended by Warrant Officer 1 Selamat bin Haji Mohammad Yassin, Acting Land Force Sergeant Major (LFSM), Warrant Officer 1 Azami bin Omar, Regiment Sergeant Major, First Battalion RBLF and Warrant Officer 1 Sharol bin Omar, Regiment Sergeant Major, Support Battalion RBLF. The theme for this year’s ASMAM is ‘Regimentation of Military Virtues Reflects Strong Army.’
ASMAM is an annual meeting, conducted since 2011, aimed at promoting strong working relationship and sharing experiences among the ASEAN armies.