The fourth ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Defence Officials’ Dialogue (DoD) opened in Hanoi on July 22 under the chairmanship of the Head of Vietnam’s Institute for Defence International Relations.

The DoD focuses on the ARF defence organisations’ role in regional security structure and the consideration, assessment and future orientation of the ARF defence coordination/cooperation.

This year’s event drew 120 delegates who are representatives of 27 ARF member countries, members of the ASEAN Secretariat’s ARF group and ARF specialised agencies and 10 delegates from the host country’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Security and Defence.

As Chair of ASEAN in 2010, Vietnam will host conferences within the ARF framework with the Ministry of Defence hosting four DoD conferences at department and institute levels and the ARF Security Policy Conference (ASPC).

The first DoD was held in New Delhi , India , from Nov. 8-10, 2009, the second in Nha Trang city of the southern coastal province of Khanh Hoa from March 17-20, 2010, and the third in the central coastal city of Da Nang from May 17-20, 2010.

Following the fourth DoD, defence officials’ delegations will join in activities of the ARF ministers’ meeting held by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry at Hanoi ’s National Convention Centre on July 23./.