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The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) participated in the 23rd ASEAN Regional Forum Meeting of Heads of Defense Universities, Colleges and Institutions (ARFHDUCIM) held from 11 to 15 November 2019 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore.
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The two-member Philippine delegation was composed of NDCP’s Executive Vice President BGen Rolando G Jungco AFP (Ret) and Chief of Academic Affairs Division Mr Rostum J Bautista MNSA.
The ARFHDUCIM is a Track 1 Forum of the ARF member-states. It provides a platform for key defence educational institutions of member states to share professional military education and best practices.
This year’s meeting is hosted by Singapore. It was organized by the SAFTI Military Institute (SAFTI MI) of the Singapore Armed Forces, in partnership with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
Pakistan was the co-chair for the meeting and will host the 2020 annual meeting.
Heads of defense and military education and training institutions from 24-member states gathered to share their experiences in the areas of leadership, curriculum development and the role of education in the grooming of leaders.
The theme of this year’s meeting is “Military Education to Enhance Confidence Building, Leadership Development, and Opportunities for Cooperation”.
Topics discussed include leadership in the age of disruption, innovations in curriculum and pedagogy, and opportunities for learning collaboration.
In his opening remarks, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State (Defence) Mr Heng Chee How highlighted the progress and achievement of the ARF since its establishment in 1994.
Mr Heng underscored the importance of the HDUCIM as one of the oldest and longest –standing feature of the ARF which provide confidence-building measures among members states that “can also lower the risk of miscalculation and conflict” through defense and military education.
He said that the ARFHDUCIM also “serve to raise the competencies and provide means for one another to engage in open and inclusive dialogue.
The NDCP’s presentation led to further discussions on the importance of conducting a defense education program that creates and sustains a culture of national security and develops and promotes critical thinking and strategic leadership among its students.
In remarks, BGen Jungco said that the NDCP provides the students the venue for sharing of professional experiences and learning of national security issues through academic enhancement travels such as the National Security and Development Studies (NSDS) and Global Security and Development Studies (GSDS).
He further said that the NDCP brings its students to the “World Classroom” where “theories and concepts meet the ground.”
The NDCP is the government’s highest center for education, training and research on defense and national security. It confers the degree of Master in National Security Administration (MNSA).
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