Gp. Capt. Mohammad Khan, JAG, Bangladesh Air Force, and Brig. Gen. Monzur Ahmed, Military Secretary, Bangladesh Army, visit the Battleship Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbor, during a tour for conference delegates.

Capt. Yvetta Rana, JAG Staff Officer, Royal Nepalese Army, and Cmdr. Sukomom Jitsiri, Chief of Advisory Section, Royal Thai Armed Forces, pose during a conference dinner.

Between official sessions, delegates were introduced to the Asia-Pacific Area Network (APAN). Developed by the U.S. Pacific Command, the system provides Internet-based communications for sharing unclassified information with nations in the region. APAN enables conference attendees to access prepared texts and comments of conference speakers and serves as a current source of conference activities and information.

Adm. Dennis C. Blair, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, presented the closing keynote address, "Security Communities in the Asia-Pacific Region." Using the term "security communities" that Kari Deutch coined over 40 years ago to describe nations sharing dependable expectations of peaceful change, Adm. Blair stressed the important role played by these kinds of conferences in building and enhancing regional cooperation and mutual understanding. He cited the progress made in these areas during his years as Commander in Chief and his Command’s continuing long-term support of multinational conferences on common tasks such as military operational law.

The hallmark of the Military Operations and Law Conference is the opportunity for attendees to hear and interact with a variety of outstanding experts and professionals in their respective fields and to discuss freely the issues and ideas presented by fellow lawyers and operational commanders. Last year’s conference was no exception. In June 2002, the 15th Annual Conference, with the theme "Law of Armed Conflict, Related Principles, and Countering Terrorism: A New Generation for the Military," will be held in Bangkok, Thailand.