DEFENDING EXPANDING THE NATION'S SOVEREIGNTY: ROLES IN WIDER HORIZONS DEFENDING THE NATION'S SOVEREIGNTY: EXPANDING ROLES IN WIDER HORIZONS DEFENCE WHITE PAPER 2011 | DEFENCE WHITE PAPER Damage to the environment can lead to more serious security concerns. Both the impact of the forest fires in the region and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are salutary reminders of the potential impact of such activities not being managed effectively. Overall capability enhancements to address traditional and non-traditional issues in Southeast Asia are focused on the legitimate demands security of self defence. The strengthening of regional defence capabilities, particularly in the area of maritime patrol operations, offers the opportunity for more effective regulations of those activities and can reduce the risk of localised tensions if approached in a cooperative manner. The Wider Asia-Pacific The growth of the major regional powers suggest that there will be some future rebalancing of their regional roles and influence. While this may occur without significant destabilisation — all nations having an interest in continuing growth and access to resources and markets — incidents testing the strength of the emerging powers cannot be ruled out. A stable relationship amongst the major powers is essential in ensuring the continued economic progress and development for the wider Asia-Pacific region. As those nations seek to strengthen the depth of their defence and secure lines of communication, more frequent and extensive deployments of maritime forces are likely to occur, particularly in the South China Sea. Providing effective security for the passage traffic through the Southeast Asian region, including against piracy, will be important in ensuring the confidence of the major powers. the threat of It is not in the region’s interests that tensions in North-East Asia spill over into conflict. While the direct military impact on Southeast Asia might be limited, the consequences for overall regional stability and for future growth could be devastating. An arms race would heighten the possibility of major conflict. “7 " Gp ws van 2010 i i more comprehensive and practical agenda for regional security cooperation. * Information to ew at rh)he ee ‘eZ . ee and shared essential terrorism and * Plans to cooperate in response to natural disasters and humanitarian crises have become a core element jae " The ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea continues to provide a valuable framework for the peaceful management of overlapping maritime interests. " The forces cooperative such Monitoring as Team deployment the of International (IMT) in Mindanao working together to overcome reflects the greater sources of instability. recognition of the value of * Objectives for the ASEAN Political-Security Community, to be established by 2015, include strengthening cooperation in conflict prevention and resolution, and post-conflict peace building. Global Trends Beyond the region, the implications of global security trends cannot be ignored especially since Brunei Darussalam’s economic future is increasingly linked to the global economy. As terrorism has graphically illustrated, geographic distance is no longer as absolute a determinant of security as once thought. * Instability in other parts of the world can have important implications for the strength of the global system overall as well as more specific outcomes including refugee flows, drug trafficking and piracy. information revolution has created new vulnerabilities. Threats to information systems can undermine competitive advantage and reveal sensitive national information. : | \y 7. combating remain transnational crime. *" The 4 exchanges capacity building of most nations’ defence planning. Significant strategic changes are also occurring in the wider Asia-Pacific context. of maritime An important consequence of this increasingly complex environment has been the emergence of a ; ry * The growing capacity of both state and non-state actors to conduct information warfare has the potential to damage national economies or disrupt decision making without the cost and time associated with conventional military threats. * The proliferation of the expertise, precursors and delivery systems for the development of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons is of particular concern. Evidence of terrorist ambitions to acquire such weapons highlights the importance of making sure effective control regimes are in place. 11