ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces attend the 22nd ASEAN Defence Chiefs’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. VNA/VNS Photo

KUALA LUMPUR _ ASEAN military leaders have agreed to form a joint task force to tackle non-traditional cross-border threats and to provide disaster relief in the region.

Malaysian Chief of Defence Force General Mohd Nizam Jaffar said the formation of the task force is the most important step taken to comprehensively address the 11 main issues discussed at the 22nd ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM-22) over three days starting from September 10.

He said that the task force will also play a role in addressing non-traditional cross-border threats such as cybercrime and online fraud, as well as coordinating disaster relief efforts in the region.

Speaking in a joint press conference with Philippines Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr, Nizam Jaffer emphasised that this task force will look into how ASEAN countries can foster cooperation and take joint action together.

The task force began operating on September 10, and ASEAN defence officials will review and pay close attention to the matters raised during the next meeting in Manila Philippines next year.

According to Nizam, the task force is not identical to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) but is intended to serve as a platform for collective discussions and joint actions when ASEAN countries face shared threats.

“When a threat is directed towards ASEAN countries, it will be discussed at the same level, for the countries to develop into what NATO has achieved will take a long time because we still believe in the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN).

Among the 11 matters highlighted was maintaining the ACDFM as the premier and highest-level forum of military leadership within ASEAN.

Other commitments included maintaining peace and stability and resolving disputes peacefully in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

All parties are also committed to strengthening trust and confidence-building measures through the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), Guidelines for Military Air Encounters, Guidelines for Maritime Interaction, the ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure, as well as various other initiatives under the framework of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

The ACDFM-22 also witnessed the handover of the chairmanship from Malaysia to the Philippines, ASEAN Chair in 2026.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by General Nguyễn Tân Cương, Chief of the General Staff of the Việt Nam People's Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence.

Cuong had bilateral meetings with leaders of the Ministry of National Defence of the host Malaysia as well as other countries in the region, such as Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Myanmar, on the sidelines of the ACDFM-22. _ VNS