Commando units and task forces from all member nations of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) joined the final phase of their maritime security and counter-terrorism exercise for 2016.

ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-member organization including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, India, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, to strengthen security and defense cooperation in the name of peace, stability, and development in the region.

The first phase of the training exercise commenced on May 1 with Vietnamese warship 381 and naval vessels from other member states gathering at the Muara Port in Brunei.

In the second phase of the drill, which ran from May 5 to 6, the Vietnamese warship joined in tactical formations with counterparts from Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Russia, and Thailand to carry out field training exercises (FTX), information exchange, and search and rescue practice.

The anti-terror drill was attended by Singaporean Minister of Defense Ng Eng Heng, and Vice Admiral Pham Ngoc Minh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, along with other military officials from the member nations.

This is the first time that Vietnamese commandos have taken part in such multi-national training sessions, and successfully completed all missions appointed by the organizers.

The drill was conducted based on a pre-designed script, in which the commando units carried out raids on a mock terrorist stronghold, requiring tight cooperation between all teams in order to optimize their attack as well as minimizing casualties.

Colonel Bui Tien Dung, deputy commander and chief of staff of the Vietnamese commando unit, expressed his satisfaction with the results of his team after the execrcise.

The script set up by the Singaporean organizers was very realistic, Col. Dung said, adding that its level of difficulty was high, demanding skillful execution and sound strategies from the participants.