Increased cooperation, shared vision and collaboration between like-minded navies will play a key role for maritime security and protecting the interests and sovereignty of the nations. This was the opinion of the panel members that included chiefs of different navies at the seminar with the theme ‘Changing character and conflict at sea’ organised as part of MILAN-2022, at Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Delivering the keynote address the Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, pointed out that the need of the hour was constructive engagement, collective maritime cooperation and collaboration between navies to ward off threats at sea and minimise conflicts.
“The Indian Ocean Region is an important maritime region. The vast expanse of water opens up multiple opportunities and challenges. We need synergy of capabilities of friendly navies to mitigate all challenges,” he said.
“Indian navy is working towards harnessing competencies for an inclusive ecosystem, developing interoperability and trust and addressing persistent problems together. This is our vision and we share it with all navies that are participating in MILAN-22,” he said.
Speaking about MILAN, he said that this was for the first time being hosted by the ENC and for the first time about 13 foreign naval warships and 39 countries are participating. The future of global common hinges on cooperation and collaboration, and MILAN only furthers it, said Admiral Hari Kumar.
He said that apart from deliberations by naval experts on complex subjects and the City Parade, the sea phase of MILAN will focus on simple to complex naval exercises at sea that includes anti-submarine warfare.
India as a nation has grown and its naval fleet with just about 33 second hand ships at the time of Independence have grown to become one of the largest navies in the world with capabilities to build ships and submarines, he said.
Speaking at the seminar, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said that the responsibility of navy is to uphold international law, freedom at sea and protect the sovereignty of land.
Global dynamics
Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, Chief of Royal Australian Navy, in his address said that the global dynamics have changed after the World War II, the cold war and the break-up of the USSR. It is now changing with the emergence of China as big power and with this the complexities over Indo-Pacific region is changing very fast, he said.
“It is time to rethink the character of warfare, especially at sea, with the growing tension on territorial waters and the militarisation of South China Sea. Adversaries will not discard opportunities and nor will they step away from exploiting weaknesses,” said Vice Admiral Noonan.
The Chief of Staff JMSDF (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force), Admiral Hiroshi Yamamura, said that challenges have to be overcome together and it is time to deepen defence multilateral cooperation.
Admiral Yamamura pointed out that Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) should be made the hub of maritime activity in the region.
Commodore Shaheen Rahman, Commander Flotilla West, Bangladesh Navy, said that maritime interests focusses on many things that includes fisheries, offshore exploration and extracting minerals. And the role of navy has expanded from resolving border disputes to curbing illegal exploration of minerals to drug and arms trafficking and to addressing the issue of refugees.
Navy now has to look into addressing state as well as non-state actors and at the same also address environment issues and this is possible only through mutual trust and cooperation.
The session was moderated by Vice Admiral G. Ashok Kumar, former Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy.
