Brunei hosts regional military logistics seminar

The 44th Pacific Area Senior Officers Logistics Seminar (PASOLS) was officially launched here on Tuesday at the Empire Hotel and Country Club.

The three-day conference is jointly organized by Brunei's Ministry of Defense and the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) and marks the second time the country has co-hosted PASOLS with the United States. The first time being in 2004.

PASOLS aims to promote open dialogue for military logistics chiefs in the Asia-Pacific region to further build supply chain networks and enhance cooperation towards a more consolidated response to common security challenges, in particular peacekeeping missions. The theme carried for this year is "Joint Logistics".

Heads and representatives of military logistics organizations from 28 countries are taking part in the conference, including Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vanuatu.

On the sidelines of PASOLS, various bilateral meetings will also take place between the participating countries and a table- top exercise will be conducted.

Initiated by US Army in 1971, PASOLS serves as an annual regional avenue that gives military logistics chiefs the opportunity to come together, interact closely and exchange logistics "best practices". Its continued significance is a strong reflection of its importance in shaping a more robust interoperable relationship in addressing the multi-faceted challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. Endi