THE ARMY AND THE FUTURE Chapter 3 - Trends In Asia-Pacific Security Counter-piracy Cooperation      The problem of defeating piracy on the high seas and the closely related issue of counter-narcotics operations seem to warrant close consideration by regional defence agencies.      In most regional countries these matters are the primary responsibility of the police, constabulary and/or customs organisations. These agencies already maintain close and generally cordial cooperative relationships throughout the region.      There are, nevertheless, numerous occasions when the resources of national civil agencies prove inadequate in scale, range or other respects, and military forces are called to assist. By and large, military assistance in these endeavours is very effective; but the question arises as to whether, if regional military authorities turned their minds to these problems in a concerted and coordinated manner, the effectiveness of national and regional counter-piracy and counter-narcotics operations could be enhanced substantially. My expectation is that the periodic concentration of defence intelligence and operational capabilties on these problems would offer the potential for making rapid progress towards national and regional objectives at low cost. Cooperation in Peacekeeping Training      There are several locations in the Asia–Pacific region that are likely to require the deployment of highly skilled peacekeeping troops to smooth the transition from hostilities to enduring peace.      The skills required for successful peacekeeping operations are somewhat different from those which most defence forces acquire for combat. Given that there is likely to be a continuing international demand for such forces, there may be value in considering ways in which training in this field can be coordinated. An approach of this kind would not only facilitate a pooling of peacekeeping experience, but possibly lead to the development of agreed doctrines and procedures for this very important type of work. Enhanced Cooperation in Defence Research and Development      The countries in East and South–East Asia share one of the most demanding environments for military operations on the globe. Many of the technologies, systems and equipments developed for the European or North American environments are ineffective or inappropriate for Asian conditions. There is obvious potential for like-minded countries in this region to work together on many of these issues and to share knowledge of materials, technologies, systems and techniques that help to overcome operational problems in our demanding tropical environment. It may also be possible to share assessments of foreign equipments for their suitability in our region. Although there are obvious difficulties of scale and capacity for some countries in contributing to such efforts, limited initiatives have already been taken in this field. Nevertheless, a more developed, frank and mutual dialogue in defence science, research and development may offer considerable potential for enhanced and mutually beneficial cooperation. [Horner, D (Ed) The Army and the Future, DDPDC, Canberra, 1993]