Southeast Asian defense ministers gathered in Indonesia Wednesday for two days of talks that will include meetings with regional counterparts and the Pentagon chief, as tensions mount in the Asia-Pacific and conflicts rage in the Middle East and Ukraine.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with defense chiefs of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday before wider talks a day later over a region where Washington and Beijing are battling for influence.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro is also at the meeting.
Thursday’s expanded talks will include representatives from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and Russia.
The meetings in Jakarta are expected to be dominated by issues ranging from the Myanmar crisis to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza to Beijing’s growing aggression in the South China Sea.
Muslim-majority Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo this week called on US President Joe Biden to do more to end “atrocities” in Gaza and help bring about a ceasefire.
His defense minister Prabowo Subianto opened talks on Wednesday echoing that call, saying he was “deeply saddened” by events in the Palestinian enclave where Israel has launched a relentless assault to destroy Hamas in response to its attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200, mostly civilians.
Subianto also said current ASEAN chair Jakarta is seeking a resolution to the Myanmar crisis, which has rolled on as the bloc’s diplomatic efforts have faltered.
“Indonesia encourages other ASEAN member states to support Myanmar to find a peaceful and durable solution to the current situation,” he told delegates.
The junta’s leaders have been banned from the bloc’s high-level meetings since failing to implement an agreed five-point peace plan following a 2021 coup.
The Jakarta talks come ahead of an eagerly awaited meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in San Francisco on Wednesday, the first encounter in a year between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.
Trade tensions, sanctions, the question of Taiwan, and Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea have fueled quarrels between the rival superpowers.
The Pentagon has not confirmed if Austin will meet with Beijing’s representative at the Jakarta talks.
China’s moves in the disputed waterway have angered several ASEAN members, including the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
In September, the Southeast Asian bloc held its first-ever joint exercises in Indonesia as it battles perceptions of regional irrelevance.
In the Philippines, major weapons systems such as the newly-acquired Israeli-made Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm self-propelled guns and modern attack aircraft and helicopters participated in a live-fire exercise in Burgos, Ilocos Norte as part of the ongoing Dagat-Langit-Lupa (sea, air and land) joint exercise.
Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), witnessed the event that featured the Army’s newly acquired artillery working in tandem with the Philippine Air Force’s AgustaWestland AW109 and A-29B Super Tucano aircraft.
The exercises demonstrate the capability of the AFP major services to conduct joint territorial defense operations and highlight the seamless integration of different military units and platforms.
More than 1,500 active and reserve personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Special Operations Command and Cyber Group are taking part in this year’s iteration of the joint exercises.
As six newly-promoted senior officers of the AFP formally donned their next higher ranks on Tuesday, Brawner urged these officials to continue leading by example.
“Leadership requires courage, conviction, and a deep sense of duty. Lead by example and instill these values in those you lead and inspire them to be the best version of themselves,” he said during the donning ceremonies held in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The newly-promoted officials are Lt. Gen. Steve Crespillo, inspector general AFP; Maj. Gen. Arvin Lagamon, AFP deputy chief-of-staff for civil-military operations; Commodore Peter Jempsun de Guzman, AFP assistant deputy chief-of-staff for operations; Brig. Gen. Benedict Balaba, deputy chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP; Brig. Gen. Ramon Flores, commandant of cadets of the Philippine Military Academy; and Brig. Gen. Ivan Papera, chief of the AFP Systems Engineering Office.
Brawner urged these officials to continue to demonstrate the AFP core values of honor, integrity, and service in performing their roles as military leaders. With Vince Lopez