Ann Bajo is a PhD Candidate at University of Portsmouth. Her research interest is defense and security in Southeast Asia. Currently, she is examining the role of Malaysia in the insurgent conflicts in the Philippines (Mindanao) and Thailand (Pattani). In the Philippines, she was a former Division Chief at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity. Prior to that, she worked in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as a Defense Analyst for eight years. She has written several internally published works including, Challenges to Military Operations in Urban Terrain in the Philippines, China’s Military Militia and the Philippine’s Counterstrategy, and the AFP Joint Special Operations Doctrine.