Documents, agreements signed during the 14th ADMM and 7th ADMM Plus Meetings

14th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ and ADMM-Plus Meetings held

MANILA – Defense Undersecretary Cardozo M. Luna attended the virtual 14th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting and the 7th ADMM-Pls and related meetings for and on behalf of Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana. The meetings were hosted by Viet Nam as the 2020 ASEAN Chair which were held for two days last week.

In a statement released today, the Department of National Defense said in compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols, this year’s ADMM and ADMM-Plus were all held virtually since they were established in 2006 and 2010, respectively.

Undersecretary Luna, a former general with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, congratulated Viet Nam for the successful chairmanship as he reaffirmed the Philippines’ continuing support for the ADMM as the highest mechanism for defense dialogue and practical cooperation under the auspices of the ASEAN. The ADMM-Plus, according to Undersecretary Luna, should remain as the main platform for regional defense engagement to achieve open and inclusive regional security architecture with ASEAN at the center.

The 14th ADMM adopted a series of documents including the Concept Paper on Developing the Linkage between the ADMM and ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM), co-sponsored by the Philippines and Malaysia, to further promote synergy among defense and military meetings under ASEAN, enable the ADCFM to take charge of all ASEAN military meetings and inform the ADMM of such initiatives and the Concept Paper on Enhancing Defense Attaché Posts AMONG ASEAN Member States, co-sponsored by the Philippines with Thailand, to promote the role of defense attaches on multilateral defense cooperation under ASEAN. (Melo M. Acuña)

Defense Undersecretary Cardozo M. Luna attends the first virtual ASEAN Defense Ministers' and the ADMM-Plus Meetings. (Photos from the Department of National Defense)