AKP Phnom Penh, July 15, 2025 --

The National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), in collaboration with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), will organise the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Exercise 2025 (ARDEX-25) from July 22 to 24, 2025, at Special Forces Command of the Royal Cambodian Army, Phnom Penh.

According to the NCDM’s press release issued on Monday, ARDEX-25 is a full-scale exercise held biennially to test and evaluate ASEAN's disaster preparedness and emergency response mechanisms. This includes preparation processes, search and rescue operations, impact assessment, and national-level immediate response strategies linked to ASEAN, with the aim of saving the lives of disaster victims through search and rescue, healthcare services, temporary shelter, food provision, and water, sanitation and hygiene, among others. 

The exercise will also test the ASEAN Standard Operating Procedure for Regional Standby Arrangements and Coordination of Joint Disaster Relief and Emergency Response Operations (SASOP) and the terms of reference for the ASEAN Secretary-General as the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator, it added.

The ARDEX-25 comprises of Table-Top Exercise (TTX), Command Post Exercise (CPX), and Field Training Exercise (FTX), pointed out the source.

The exercise will involve participants 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 the Kingdom of Cambodia, relevant ministries and institutions, search and rescue teams, Governors of municipality/provinces, development partners, UN agencies, international organizations, and the private sector, totaling approximately 650 participants.

The Opening Ceremony of the exercise will take place on July 22 under the presidency of H.E. Kitti Sangahapundit Kun Kim, Senior Minister, First Vice-President of NCDM, and Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management, while the closing ceremony will be held on July 24 and presided over by H.E. Gen. Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence.

Cambodia has so far participated in the ARDEX-16 in Brunei Darussalam, ARDEX-18 in Indonesia, and ARDEX-23 in Indonesia. 

By C. Nika