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In international politics, defence diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources and capabilities.
Reshaping defence diplomacyIndigenous imprisonment in NSW: a closer look at the trend
{{Diplomacy Types of diplomacy Foreign policy doctrines Foreign relations Military doctrines
In international politics, defence diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources and capabilities.
Origin of concept
Defence diplomacy as an organizing concept for defence-related international activity has its origin in post- Cold War reappraisals of Western defence establishments, led by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, and was a principle “used to help the West come to terms with the new international security environment.” While the term originated in the West, the conduct of defence diplomacy is by no means confined to Western countries.Development
While there is not yet a broadly accepted definition of defence diplomacy, it can be understood as the peaceful application of resources from across the spectrum of defence, to achieve positive outcomes in the development of a country'sbilateral
Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular:
*Bilateria, bilateral animals
*Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states
*Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of l ...
and multilateral relationships. "Military diplomacy" is a subset that tends to refer only to the role of military attachés and their associated activity. Defence diplomacy does not include military operations but subsumes such other defence activity as international personnel exchanges, ship and aircraft visits, high-level engagement (such as ministers and senior defence personnel), bilateral meetings and staff talks, training and exercises, regional defence forums (such as Shangri-La Dialogue
The IISS Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) is a " Track One" inter-governmental security conference held annually in Singapore by an independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The dialogu ...
, Halifax Forum
The Halifax Forum is an arena and multi-purpose facility in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Its uses include sporting events, bingo, ice skating, concerts and markets. It was built in 1927 on the site of the former Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition which ...
), outreach, confidence and security building measures, and non-proliferation activities.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
identified defence diplomacy as one of the military's eight defence missions, and aims to “dispel hostility, build and maintain trust and assist in the development of democratically accountable armed forces” to make a “significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution.” Defence diplomacy is often developed and implemented in close coordination with the foreign and development ministries to ensure coherence and focus across government.
Major General Ng Chee Khern
Ng Chee Khern (born 18 October 1965) is a Singaporean civil servant and former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2006 and 2009. He is currently serving as Permanent Secretary (Smart Nation and Digital Government) under t ...
, Air Force Chief of the Republic of Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, summed it up thus: "In defence diplomacy, we seek to develop mutually beneficial relationships with friendly countries and armed forces to contribute to a stable international and regional environment."
Defence diplomacy is often associated with conflict prevention and security sector reform The concepts of security sector governance and reform (SSG/R, or SSG and SSR) generally refer to a process in Western-based international development and democratization to amend the security sector of a state towards good governance and its princi ...
. It is distinct from the concept of gunboat diplomacy
In international politics, the term gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to t ...
, which is generally understood to be motivated by a desire to intimidate potential adversaries.
See also
* Military attaché *Medical diplomacy Medical diplomacy or public health diplomacy is a form of diplomacy. It is the provision of medical assistance, including vaccines, or aid for the purpose of furthering national goals. It is often considered to be a form of soft power but it has va ...
* Economic diplomacy Economic diplomacy is a form of diplomacy that uses the full spectrum of economic tools of a state to achieve its national interests. The scope of economic diplomacy can encompass all of the international economic activities of a state, including, ...
* Public diplomacy
References
External links
Reshaping defence diplomacy
{{Diplomacy Types of diplomacy Foreign policy doctrines Foreign relations Military doctrines