Simplified formatby the ASEAN Secretariat
Excerpted from RSIS Report
As of 15 March 2010
ASEAN Regional Forum Annual Security Outlook Standardized Format[1]
pROPOSED STANDARDIZED FORMAT FOR THE ASO[2]
A.Preface
1.Message from the ARF Chair
-Overview of ARF’s aims and achievements vis-à-vis participants’ security policies and strategies, their contributions to ARF’s efforts in regional security, etc.
2.Executive Summary (by relevant ARF authority and/or approved editor)
-Identify similarities/differences in participants’ submissions, their broad implications for Asia-Pacific security, etc.
B.Contributions by Member Countries
1.Overview of the Regional Security Environment
-General observations of contemporary regional security environment according to each country’s security perspective
2.National Security and Defence Policy
a.Overview of national security and defence policy
-Identify and briefly discuss national security and defence orientation, doctrine, and/or strategy
b.Data contribution to ARF Arms Register
-Provide all requisite information as per the following sub-categories
i.Total defence expenditure on annual basis
1)Defence expenditure
2)Defence expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
3)Defence expenditure per capita
ii.Total number of personnel in national armed forces
and its percentage in population (optional)
1)Active (according to services, e.g. air force, navy, army, marines, special operations forces, etc)
2)Reserve (according to services, e.g. air force, navy, army, marines, special operations forces, etc)
3.National Contributions to Regional Security
Participation in cooperative arrangements in/germane to Asia-Pacific
-Identify and briefly discuss national cum regional responses to the following security issues as per their enclosed sub-categories. If necessary include additional categories and discuss responses.
i.Counterterrorism
Actions taken in adherence to ARF Statements e.g.:
▪Promoting a People-Centred Approach to Counter-Terrorism
-Identify/discuss holistic, comprehensive, other-than-militaristic, and people-centric initiatives and strategies of accommodation started or will be starting, their impact on societal security, etc.
▪Promotion of Inter-Civilization Dialogue
-Identify/discuss efforts at dialogues and exchanges among different religious and/or ethnic groups in each country, their impact on racial cum religious harmony and societal security, etc.
▪Information Sharing and Intelligence Exchange and Document Integrity and Security in Enhancing Cooperation to Combat Terrorism and Transnational Crimes
-Identify/discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation, regular or intermittent, institutionalized or ad hoc, with other ARF states in this regard.
▪Cooperative Counter-Terror Action on Border Security
-Ditto the above, with special reference to ARF states whose borders each countryshares.
▪Measures Against Terrorist Financing
-Identify/discuss arrangements with national and offshore banks, financial and other relevant institutions in this regard.
ii.Non-proliferation, Counter-proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
Actions taken in adherence to ARF Statements e.g.:
▪Supporting National Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540
-Identify/discuss actions and measures each country has taken, istaking, and/or will be taking in fulfilment of commitment to UNSC Resolution 1540.
▪Non-Proliferation
-Identify/discuss actions and measures each country has taken, istaking, and/or will be taking in fulfilment of commitment in this regard.
iii.Transnational Crime
Actions taken in adherence to ARF Statements, e.g.:
▪Information Sharing and Intelligence Exchange and Document Integrity and Security in Enhancing Cooperation to Combat Terrorism and Transnational Crimes
-Identify/discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation, regular or intermittent, institutionalized or ad hoc, with other ARF states in this regard.
▪Promoting Collaboration on the Prevention of Diversion of Precursors into Illicit Drug Manufacture
-Identify/discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation, regular or intermittent, institutionalized or ad hoc, with other ARF states in this regard.
▪Strengthening Transport Security Against International Terrorism
-Identify/discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation, regular or intermittent, institutionalized or ad hoc, with other ARF states in this regard.
iv.Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
Actions taken in adherence to ARF Statement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Assistance, etc.
-Identify/discuss actions and measures each country has taken, istaking, and/or will be taking, at the national, bilateral and/or multilateral levels, in fulfilment of commitment in this regard.
v.Maritime Security
Actions taken in adherence to ARF Statement on Cooperation Against Piracy and Other Threats to Maritime Security, e.g.
-Identify/discuss all actions and measures each country has taken, istaking, and/or will be taking in fulfilment of commitment.
4.Role of ARF
a.National contributions to enhancing the ARF and regional security
-Identify/discuss efforts aimed at strengthening ARF capabilities in regional security management.
b.Future of ARF
-Identify/discuss views about future challenges and prospects for the ARF, and your contributions to improving the ARF’s ability to manage those and progress towards its express objectives in preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution.
~~~~~ End of Proposed Standardized Format ~~~~~
1
[1] The Format is developed to provide the ARF participants with guidelines for their ASO submissions. Taking into account the voluntary nature of the submission, the ARF participants may submit their ASO with minor changes that they deem necessary.
[2] This document was originally prepared by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies under contract with the ASEAN-US Technical Assistance and Training Facility. The Facility is a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. Department of State-funded project based at the ASEAN Secretariat.