This was my opening address as co-chair of the Expert Working Group (EWG) for Cybersecurity at the ASEAN Defense Senior Officers’ Meeting (ADSOM) Plus held at Radisson-Blue Hotel in Cebu City on April 7, 2017. The ADSOM Plus is composed of cyber experts from Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, USA and Vietnam. I was really overwhelmed and bit edgy for taking the lead . . .

However a month prior to the ADSOM, I was very fortunate that DND sent me to attend the Global Cyberspace Cooperation Summit VII at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. So most that I said at ADSOM was influenced by my attendance at Berkeley. The things that I said are quotations from the different speakers there that I have written down in my notes but remiss in taking note by whom. I cannot remember anymore who said those words. Please pardon me for plagiarizing or not giving credit to the right persons who originally thought about the idea! Here is my speech and confidently read my script aloud:

Thank you Sir, Mr. Chair! Before I proceed, let me introduce myself. I am Brigadier General Jess Lomeda Signal Corps (Retired) and presently the Chief of the MIS Service of the Department of National Defense. I am designated as the new co-chair of the EWG for Cybersecurity together with Director Mike Thompson from the Ministry of Defense of New Zealand. We had series of talks and planning through correspondence by emails since last year.

We previously all know why an EWG for cybersecurity was created. There is no need to elaborate. For me I know, cybersecurity is part of the ingredients of the ASEAN notion of establishing peace and stability in the region.

Cybersecurity is the youngest amongst the EWGs. It is considered to be in the infancy stage here in the ASEAN Plus Cooperation compared to the other EWGs. New Zealand and Philippines intend to fully develop the concept of cybersecurity first before joining with other EWGs. For the reason that we, among us, have to build better confidence, better transparency, better cooperation, and ultimately better stability on cyber operation matters first. Yes, cyber is also present in other areas such as land, sea/maritime and air operations. It is referred to as Network Centric. “This is the use of cyber to achieve optimal benefit of resources and better synchronization of events and their consequences” (Wikipedia). These cyber assets must be secured! Once the concept of cybersecurity has matured, EWG for cybersecurity will be ready to join with other EWGs in FTX, or field exercises.

Cybersecurity is not simply about reacting to threats. For us here at ADSOM Plus, “Cybersecurity is about shaping creative and sustainable combinations of technological and social responses at an international level”. The EWG for cybersecurity is the coordinator for these cyber issues. It will discuss not only policies but also protocols (The sets of rulings, customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence and etiquette). Those things we see in terms of international and diplomatic arrangement for cybersecurity.

For our Work Programme, the EWG will have an inaugural meeting on July this year in Manila (as shown in the slide);

thus, creating the opportunities for cross-sector collaboration. The EWG will explore the establishment of Points-of-Contact and Cybersecurity Centres – the place for cybersecurity breach information sharing and development of emergency response coordination capability.

By November this year, New Zealand will host the next meeting taking up the issue on legal matters; for the reason that the rapid pace of technological change has triggered a corresponding leap in exposure to vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cyber criminals. The meeting will be on harmonizing legal frameworks because a mechanism is critical to combating cyber crime and cyber attacks . . .