Brunei, U.S. mull defense partnership: senior officer

Brunei and the United States are eyeing a state partnership program (SPP) that would link the sultanate's military with the U.S. National Guard in a move to boost security cooperation.

Major General Mark Dillon, vice commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), was quoted Monday by a local daily, the Brunei Times as saying that Brunei expressed interest in joining the program, as both sides seek closer engagement towards addressing security challenges in line with Washington's rebalance in Asia.

"We're working on trying to facilitate that as partnerships are vitally important to us," he said in a recent briefing at the PACAF Headquarters in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

He pointed out the SPP, managed by the National Guard, is one of the U.S. Department of Defense's initiatives to strengthen joint security cooperation globally.

On its website, the National Guard said the SPP "builds enduring personal and institutional relationships through consistent engagement, offering an expandable engagement approach including senior leader visits and co-deployments."

Under the program, the United States works with partner militaries to strengthen shared defenses through capacity building activities. Typical SPP activities range from disaster preparedness and crisis management to aviation logistics, maintenance and safety as well as defense reform and military modernization. Endit