The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) took part in the 24th ASEAN Regional Forum Heads of Defence Universities / Colleges / Institutions Meeting (ARF HDUCIM) virtually held on 4-6 October 2021.
The meeting was chaired by the National Defence University (NDU) Pakistan and co-chaired by the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM).
The theme for this year’s meeting is “In the Quest for Peace: Looking Beyond Perceptions.” The meeting discussed the following topics: 1) transforming global conflict/threat perceptions; 2) military leadership and peace building; and 3) collaboration and cooperation for peace.
The NDCP President, Dr Archimedes H Viaje MNSA CESE, represented the Philippines in the meeting. In his presentation, Dr Viaje shared the experience of Southeast Asia in advancing collaboration and cooperation for peace in the region. Dr Viaje discussed the various ASEAN-led platforms and initiatives to promote defense and security cooperation in the region.
The NDCP President underscored that defense education complements efforts to advance peace and stability in the region by promoting greater understanding among security officials of various countries, establishing networks with counterparts, and building confidence with other nations.
The ARF HDUCIM is a Track I platform within the ambit of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). It aims to provide an avenue for members to share their experiences on security education and research as well as other relevant areas of international security in order to enhance mutual understanding and peaceful resolution of conflicts, among others.
The participants in the ARF HDUCIM are: Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United States, and Viet Nam.
The NDCP hosted the 1st ARF HDUCIM in 1997. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of ASEAN, the College hosted the 21st ARF HDUCIM in 2017. Such initiatives are in line with NDCP’s thrust to promote international defense and security engagements.