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ASEAN chiefs of defense endorsed the world's first multilateral air directives aimed at keeping the sky more and more congested for military planes and preventing skirmishes on the high seas.
The non-binding code complements an existing set of protocols for naval vessels: the Code for Unexpected Sea Meetings (Cues), designed to reduce the risk of an accident at sea, particularly in disputed waters such as South China Sea.
The defense ministers of the 10 ASEAN member states signed a joint declaration on Friday, 19 October, at the annual meeting of ASEAN Defense Ministers (ADMM), in which they pledged to promote the regional peace and stability and to strengthen cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism, air and among others, safety at sea and cyber security. For example, they will set up a virtual network of experts to combat chemical, biological and radiological threats from terrorist groups and rogue states.
Joint maritime exercises between ASEAN and China, as well as ASEAN and the United States are also on the agenda.
After the signing, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said the Asean navies were going to Zhanjiang, China for the first Asean-China Maritime Exercise next week.
ASEAN ministers have also agreed to an ASEAN-US maritime exercise next year, although officials will need to discuss the location of the organization.
Ministers also adopted the "Our Eyes" initiative, an Indonesian-led counter-terrorism intelligence sharing platform that, until now, only covered five other countries. from Southeast Asia, including Singapore.
The 10 ministers hope to convince the partner countries of ADMM-Plus – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States – to subscribe to the air code, as they have. had done with Cues at last year 's meeting.
Countries in the region have modernized their armed forces, including the air force, to meet new security challenges. The data shows that defense spending in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to increase by 23 percent to more than 530 billion USD (730 billion USD) in 2020.
The new Air Directives – a set of communication protocols called Game (Guidelines for Air Military Meetings) – aim to reduce the risk of accidents that can escalate into conflict, particularly with the increase in air traffic in the region. region.
Although not binding and voluntary, they serve as a "measure of practical confidence" for the air forces to improve their operational security.
Asked at a press conference on the usefulness of such non-binding protocols in the light of a recent near-miss between an American warship and a Chinese destroyer in the South China Sea, Dr. Ng compared seatbelt guidelines in vehicles.
"Is the glass half empty or half full? Without them, are we waiting for the meetings to get worse? I think the answer is yes, it may very well be that in Without guidelines, the risk of an accident would be increased, "he said.
"In a way, they're like seat belts – not completely protective, but at least you'll find some protection."
The new Air Code applies to unplanned clashes between military aircraft on the high seas and states acceptable and unacceptable behavior, such as keeping a safe distance, avoiding reckless maneuvers and "(refraining) from using foul language or hostile physical gestures ".
The guidelines comply with aviation standards, national and international laws in force, as well as the principles of transparency and mutual trust of Asean.
Singapore has been instrumental in implementing these guidelines as the president of this year's Asean.
Dr. Ng defined three priorities during Singapore's mandate: the fight against terrorism; confidence-building measures and code for unplanned encounters at sea and in the air; and cope with chemical, biological and radiological threats.
He entrusted the presidency of the ADMM to Thailand on Saturday at the end of the ADMM-Plus, where the eight dialogue partners should participate to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
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