ASEAN+8 working group on military medicine described as a key milestone

Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for Defence, Dr Chiang Chie Foo, has described inaugural ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting -Plus Experts’ Working Group on Military Medicine (EWG MM) as a key milestone in ASEAN ’s history, providing a platform for the defence ministers to have a strategic conversation on regional defence and security issues.

He said also provided an avenue for the defence establishments in the region to find ways to engender practical cooperation in a tangible manner, Bernama news agency reported.

Co-chaired by Brigadier-General Benjamin Seet from the Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps and Colonel Satoshi Suzuki from the Japan Self-Defence Forces, the event was attended by senior military medical officials from ADMM-Plus countries.

The ADMM-Plus brings together the 10 ASEAN countries with Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. The other EWG5 are on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter-terrorism, maritime security and peace keeping operations.