I will visit Singapore
this weekend to address one of the region's most important
annual strategic conferences. The Fifth Asia Security Conference
(commonly called the Shangri La Dialogue) is hosted by the
London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies
(IISS). The Shangri La Dialogue has established itself as
the premier event in the Asia Pacific for discussing key security
issues with counterparts from around the region and the globe.
The dialogue attracts
high level representation from the Asia Pacific, including
Australia, South East Asian nations, Japan, Republic of Korea,
Pakistan, New Zealand, UK, US, France and Canada. I will lead
Australia's delegation, which also includes Secretary for
Defence, Mr Ric Smith and Chief of the Defence Force, Air
Chief Marshal Angus Houston. On Sunday June 4, I will deliver
an address to the conference on
'Constructing a Regional Security Community'.
Following the Shangri
La Dialogue, I will attend a Five Power Defence Arrangements
(FPDA) Defence Ministers' Meeting. The FPDA is a long-standing
security Arrangement between Australia, Malaysia, Singapore
the UK and New Zealand, and is the region's only multilateral
security Arrangement. The Defence Minister' Meeting is a triennial
event which allows Defence Ministers from the five nations
to discuss security issues affecting our nations, and to examine
development of the Arrangements. We will discuss a range of
issues, including how the FPDA can best adapt
to combat unconventional threats and to contribute to regional
maritime security.
Our experience
working together in the FPDA makes a positive contribution
to regional security by improving the five nations' ability
to work together in a range of scenarios, including disaster
relief and coalition operations. In the wake of the FPDA Ministers'
Meeting, I will take the opportunity to visit Australian forces
base in Malaysia at RMAF Butterworth.