Vientiane, September 5 (AseanAll)  — Yang Mulia Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), attended the 21st ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (21st ACDFM) in Vientiane, Laos People’s Democratic Republic, chaired by Lieutenant General Khamlieng Outhakaisone, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Chief of General Staff of the Lao People’s Army with the theme “ASEAN: Together for Peace, Security and Resilience”.

The Commander of the RBAF was accompanied by the Acting Joint Force Commander as RBAF’s Head of the 14th ASEAN Military Operations Meeting (AMOM) and the Director of Intelligence as RBAF’s Head of the 21st ASEAN Military Intelligence Meeting (AMIM). Both AMOM and AMIM was held concurrently from 1 to 3 September 2024, in preparation for the 21st ACDFM. 

During the 21st ACDFM, the ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces agreed to adopt the ASEAN Militaries Two-Year Activity Work Plan for 2024-2026 and signed the 21st ACDFM Joint Statement. 

Meanwhile, in the exchange of views session, the Commander of the RBAF shared perspectives on several regional security challenges. 

By reflecting on this year’s theme, the Commander of the RBAF highlighted on the importance of ACDFM as a platform for ASEAN militaries as it provides the opportunity to foster understanding, strengthen relationships and address mutual concerns. 

The meeting concluded with the handover ceremony of the ACDFM Chairmanship to Malaysia as the next Chairman of the 22nd ACDFM in 2025.

The Commander of the RBAF also held separate bilateral meetings with several ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces to discuss bilateral defence relations and cooperations.