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Opening Speech for Civil/Military Cooperation Seminar/Workshop
28 February – 1 March 2012
Yoshiki Imawaka
Deouty Regional Director, ICAO Asia Pacific Office
Mr. Voradej Harnprasert, Director General, Department of Civil Aviation, Thailand,
Air Marshal, Sujin Chamchoy, Deputy Commander of Air Operations Control,
Directorate of Air Operations Control, Royal Thai Air Force.
Distinguished Guests. Ladies and Gentlemen. Good Morning
On behalf of the Secretary General of ICAO, Mr. Raymond Benjamin and Regional
Director, ICAO Asia pacific Office, Mr. Mokhtar Awan, I welcome you all to the Civil
Military Cooperation Seminar workshop held at the Regional Office in Bangkok.
I also welcome Mr Gustavo De Lean, Regional Programme Officer, ICAO HQ, who
supports this seminar, and modulators of the seminar from Eurocontrol, FAA and
IATA .
This seminar is a part of worldwide campaign to convey a message of mutual trust
and confidence, as principal requirements for collaboration between civil and military
authorities. It was emanated from the Global Air Traffic Management Forum on
Civil/Military held in Montreal in October 2009.
The 37th Session of the ICAO Assembly expressed support for flexible use of airspace,
making specific reference to the importance of a balanced and equitable access to
airspace by civil and military users. The Assembly also expressed support for ICAO’s
efforts to raise the States awareness in relation to the benefits of civil/military
coordination and cooperation, and adopted Resolution A 37-15, Appendix O -
coordination and cooperation of civil and military traffic. The Resolution concluded
that ICAO should serve as an international platform to facilitate improved
civil/military cooperation, collaboration and sharing of best practices.
ICAO is conducting this seminar workshop in each Region, in partnership with FAA
United States, EUROCONTROL, IATA, CANSO, and UVS International. Support from
States and other international organizations is also appreciated.
What we will bring here is a common understanding that improved cooperation
between civil and military is one of the key conditions for increasing effective use of
airspace.
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For civil aviation, it will meet the requirements for more safe and efficient air
transportation system, and for accommodating the increasing traffic.
For military, it will meet the requirements for mission safely and effectively.
The sharing of airspace between civil and military is included in the ICAO’s vision of
integrated, harmonized and globally interoperable ATM system, as indicated in the
Global ATM Operational Concept and in the Global Air Navigation Plan.
The airspace is a common limited resource for both civil and military users.
We are looking at a goal to open up segregated airspace, when it is not used for its
originally intended purpose, and access for all users according to their needs without
impeding the military missions or operations.
In the Asia Pacific Region, discussion for Seamless ATM operations was recently
initiated, and the First meeting of the Seamless ATM Operation Planning Group of
APANPIRG was held in January 2012. The meeting noted that in order to develop
Seamless ATM operations in the Asia Pacific Region, civil military cooperation is
crucial.
The 47th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) urged greater
participation of military authorities in civil forums to facilitate optimum utilization of
airspace. And civil representatives should consider including their military
counterparts in their delegations at ICAO meetings, wherever possible.
Military cooperation in civil Air Traffic Control Centres to ensure appropriate civil
military tactical communication was also urged.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I encourage you to share and to discuss in the next few days,
your experiences to promote a more proactive approach to improve civil/military
cooperation and coordination and management of the airspace.
In closing I wish you all a successful seminar and pleasant stay in Bangkok.
Thank you for your attention.
