August 6th 2002
Better communication links are needed as security threats are multi-faceted and transnational, says Defence Minister
Defence establishments in the region still have some way to go to build up a network that will help them fight new threats like terrorism, Defence Minister Tony Tan told senior military officers at the Fourth Asia-Pacific Summer Camp.
He voiced the hope yesterday that the process would not take too long, as having better communication links would help countries tackle today's security problems that have become multi-faceted.
These now include transnational organised crime, piracy and illegal immigration.
And transational threats, he added, require a transnational response.
Dr Tan, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, pointed out that the world is now at a critical juncture, because of the global proportions of the threat.
Many countries, he said, have had to re-order their priorities and move security concerns to the top of their agenda after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
At the same time, conventional threats to security still remain. Potential flashpoints in the Asia-Pacific region, such as the recent naval skirmish between the two Koreas and tensions between India and Pakistan, have yet to be resolved.
Fortunately, he noted, security issues are being discussed at some important forums.
One of these was the recent International Institute of Strategic Studies' security conference in Singapore, which saw a dozen deputy ministers and ministerial representatives agreeing to meet and exchange views on security challenges in the Asia-Pacific.
Another, the Asean Regional Forum, decided recently to include discussions on defence at its meetings.
The week-long camp at Sentosa organised by the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, which is being attended by more than 100 senior military officers, is another good example of building networks, he said.
Professor Steve Smith, a British academic and a keynote speaker at the camp, told reporters after Dr Tan's speech that the minister's views are 'enormously important' because 'only through mutual understanding of issues can we lessen the danger of inadvertent conflict'.
In his speech, delivered yesterday too, he urged the participants to reflect on how security concerns not just the state but also people's lives.
For example, people worry about the security of their daily needs, like food and jobs.
Widening his definition further, he said that studies into security by women showed that as a sex, women are neglected security-wise, even though such issues affect them more directly than men.
For example, 80 to 90 per cent of casualties of a war are civilians, and the majority of these are women and children, he added.
