Phnom penh: The National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), in collaboration with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), is set to organize the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Exercise 2025 (ARDEX-25) from July 22 to 24, 2025, at the Special Forces Command of the Royal Cambodian Army in Phnom Penh.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, ARDEX-25 is a comprehensive exercise held every two years to assess ASEAN’s readiness and response strategies for disasters. The exercise will evaluate preparation processes, search and rescue operations, impact assessments, and national-level immediate response strategies connected to ASEAN, aiming to save lives through search and rescue, healthcare, temporary shelters, food provision, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
The exercise will also scrutinize the ASEAN Standard Operating Procedure for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief and Emergency Response Ope
rations (SASOP) and the terms of reference for the ASEAN Secretary-General as the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator.
ARDEX-25 will include a Table-Top Exercise (TTX), Command Post Exercise (CPX), and Field Training Exercise (FTX). Participants will include representatives from ASEAN Member States, Timor-Leste, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, the ASEAN Secretary-General, the Executive Director of the AHA Centre, Ambassadors, and Foreign Military Attachés accredited to Cambodia, alongside relevant ministries and institutions, search and rescue teams, Governors of municipalities/provinces, development partners, UN agencies, international organizations, and the private sector, totaling approximately 650 participants.
The Opening Ceremony of the exercise will occur on July 22, presided over by H.E. Kitti Sangahapundit Kun Kim, Senior Minister, First Vice-President of NCDM, and Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management. The closing ceremony on July 24 will be led by H.E. Gen. Tea Seiha, Deput
y Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence.
Cambodia has previously participated in ARDEX-16 in Brunei Darussalam, ARDEX-18 in Indonesia, and ARDEX-23 in Indonesia.