ASEAN Defence Ministers Meetings Plus Expert Working Group on Military Medicine And the ASEAN Centre of Military Medicine - Towards an ASEAN Military Medicine Community

Abstract

The inaugural Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2010. The Defence Ministers of 18 countries came out with an agreement to pursue practical cooperation in five areas of defence and security which are (1) Peace-Keeping Operations, (2) Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, (3) Maritime Security, (4) Counter-Terrorism and (5) Military Medicine. Areas of Humanitarian Mine Action and Cybersecurity were added at a later stage. To facilitate for these areas of cooperation, Expert Working Groups were formed. The Malaysian Armed Forces Health Services Headquarters have been the lead agency for the EWG Military Medicine since its inception in August 2011. This paper elaborates the development, achievements and progress of the EWG on Military Medicine and ASEAN Centre in Military Medicine to date.