Inter-agency work difficult but necessary -- DND chief

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 3): Inter-agency work difficult but necessary -- DND chief

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said inter-agency work is challenging but is imperative.

He made this statement during the just concluded ASEAN-US Defense Dialogue in Hawaii last September 30.

His views were equally shared by the other defense ministers attending the forum.

Lorenzana elaborated on the Philippines' experience with inter-agency work in dealing with maritime security concerns through the National Coast Watch System.

The DND chief said inter-agency may well be the way forward in regard to the trilateral cooperation among the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, an initiative that has recently taken off given the commitment of the three countries' defense ministers.

Meeting in Hawaii, the defense ministers of ASEAN and the US exchanged views on common security challenges specifically natural and man-made disasters, maritime security and violent extremism and terrorism.

Addressing these challenges also necessitate interaction and collaborative effort across levels, from the tactical to the operational and at the policy level.

Policy will set the direction but things need to be concretized at the operational and tactical level.

Timely sharing of information is something that must likewise be undertaken.

Having maritime domain awareness is key in the ability of countries to share information with their other partners.

Hosted by the US Department of Defense, this is the second ASEAN-US informal dialogue held in the US after the first one was conducted in 2014.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=928260