Mekong - U.S. Partnership
The United States and Singapore co-hosted the 2020 Third Country Training Program (TCTP) Cybersecurity Workshop as a series of virtual events on October 26 and 27 and November 2 and 3. This cybersecurity course was fully subscribed with 30 participants from all ASEAN countries as well as Timor-Leste and the ASEAN Secretariat. It covered a broad range of cyber policy topics including the importance of whole-of-government cyber coordination, frameworks and best practices for a risk-based approach to cybersecurity, and the framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace. The participants identified key themes and lessons to bring back to their home countries for implementation, including raising public awareness on cybersecurity, strengthening network defenses against cybersecurity threats, and creating public-private partnerships to effectively respond to and manage cyber incidents. U.S. Embassy Singapore Deputy Chief of Mission Daniel Bischof provided closing remarks, available here.
This workshop included coordination with the U.S. Department of State East Asia and Pacific Bureau Office of Regional and Security Policy, Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, Department of Homeland Security Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (DHS/CISA), MITRE, U.S. Embassy Singapore, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.
Since 2012, the United States’s EAP/MLA and Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Technical Cooperation Division have co-funded joint capacity-building courses for ASEAN countries plus Timor-Leste. Each year, TCTP workshops cover a wide range of topics to support ASEAN community-building efforts by enhancing connectivity, promoting sustainable development, and strengthening regional resilience.
