THE ANCHOR a Quarterly Newsletter
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THE ANCHOR A quarterly newsletter I S S U E 2 6 OCT — D E C 2 0 2 0 Message from the Director 2020 is not a year likely to be the virtual, and in doing so we recalled fondly in many quarters, have been able to engage in INSIDE THIS with the disruption and damage conferences, participate in ISSUE: wrought by the COVID-19 international meetings, and pandemic following close on the deliver education and training to different way of operating, that The Malabar 1 heels of a devastating bush fire people all over the world. will certainly be with us in 2021, exercises: India season, which saw Wollongong This was fortunate, as it has and is likely to remain to some Malabar exercises, 2 shrouded in smoke for many meant the Centre’s finances were degree even when international cont’d weeks. The interruption of not substantially affected by the travel becomes possible again. international travel has forced a Nevertheless, the impact of the Vale Sam Bateman 3 COVID downturn that has change in ANCORS operations, caused difficulties for the COVID pandemic upon our Retirements: 4 seeing an extensive travel university sector, and we enter friends and colleagues around Myree Mitchell schedule for most staff effectively 2021 in a strong financial the world has been of great Robin Warner erased by the middle of March. position. concern, and I wish everyone better days, in the form of a safe Nordic report ANCORS staff have embraced 5 It has also given us a window to a and happier 2021. AOSIS report Blue economy virtual conference The Malabar exercises: Promises and portents for India Alumnus 6 appointed as This article, originally titled “Rebirth Long before the age of steam 2007, the exercise was Human Rights of the quadrilateral Malabar: and large cargo vessels, conducted twice, with the Commissioner Promises and portents for India”, is maritime trade links extended second edition being ANCORS in UOW first published in The Interpreter, far and wide from the Malabar a multilateral naval exercise that SDG report the Lowy Institute’s online policy region. It is therefore only fitting saw participation from Australia, AMSA scholarship blog, on 28 Oct, 2020. for this region to have lent its Japan as well as Singapore. opportunity It is written by ANCORS PhD name to a series of naval After much speculation and Student Mr Prakash Gopal. exercises that has “open and Masters Farewell 7 anticipation, India extended an prosperous Indo-Pacific” as its tea invitation to Australia to guiding purpose. Course and events participate in the 2020 edition Lying at the south-eastern blueprint of the future navy. Recent extremity of the Indian of the Malabar exercise, publications peninsula, the Malabar is a The Malabar series of naval scheduled in November. While exercises started off in 1992 as Japan has been a permanent Announcements serene, idyllic region at the 8 a modest, one-day exercise participant in these exercises and Celebrations confluence of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian between ships of the Indian and since 2015, the decision to Ocean. This region was once US navies. Since then, it has invite Australia to complete the the historical gateway for evolved into a complex annual Quad at Malabar is one that maritime trade between India fixture with ships, aircraft and India has been extremely and the rest of the world, until submarines of the Indian, US cautious in making. the arrival of the Portuguese in and Japanese navies exercising (continued next page) the 15th Century. alternately in the Indian and the Western Pacific Oceans. In P A G E 2 Indian navy capability, continued (Continued from p1) across the region, China’s spectacularly to Chinese actions in the maritime coercion, it is important for Indo-Pacific have not been India to stand strong. As a Besides the possible economic adequately or effectively country that aspires to be a repercussions of antagonising countered. regional power of China – a risk common for all consequence, India needs to be Quad members – India is the Attempts to appease China have only led to increased able to make tough choices in only Quad member that shares a defence of its strategic land border with China. This belligerence and a disdain for diplomatic avenues. India’s interests. By revitalising the border – the world’s longest maritime security dimension of unsettled boundary – has recent experience in this regard has been particularly unpleasant, the Quad, India has shown a witnessed military escalation in willingness to confront HMAS Adelaide participates recent months at a scale not as Prime Minister Modi’s efforts in Exercise Malabar 2007, in adversity. The manner in which seen since the last war fought in establishing a personal the Bay of Bengal. Caption it develops and leverages all between these countries, in rapport with President Xi text: The Interpreter. Photo: facets of its national power will 1962. Jinping have failed to yield Department of Defence. desirable outcomes for India. determine its capacity to stay The possibility of China using its the course. significant military advantage to An expanded Malabar and “punish” India for this increased collaboration between “As a country that decision must weigh heavily on Quad countries may not reverse India’s security and foreign or remedy India’s complex aspires to be a policy establishments. The issues with China. However, it demonstrates India’s willingness regional power of measured and somewhat belated decision to include Australia in to discard its traditional consequence, Malabar 2020, however, hesitation for multilateral indicates India’s unwillingness to security cooperation under the India needs to be allow the fear of Chinese pretext of strategic autonomy. reprisal to constrain its India’s strategic interests are able to make sovereign choices. being threatened by China, and it has finally chosen a course of tough choices in Recent moves to revive the action that may best serve to Quad and its collective defence of its defend those interests. participation in the 2020 Malabar China’s reaction to the inclusion strategic exercise are undoubtedly in response to China’s contentious of Australia in exercise Malabar interests.” actions in the region. To that has so far been surprisingly extent, there is a dominant anti- muted. Leaders of the four China narrative that underpins Quad countries would be these decisions. But the larger prepared, however, for a strong strategic motivation is also to pushback from Beijing. strengthen a collective response For India, the Himalayan winter to one state’s unilateral actions of 2020–21 may be particularly that are detrimental to good challenging, as China is likely to order and stability in the region. exert considerable pressure From encroachment and along the long, mountainous militarisation of features in the border. In all probability, Beijing South China Sea, to its increased will use its significant diplomatic, naval presence in proximity of economic and military means to the disputed Senkaku/ derail this quadrilateral reunion. Diaoyu islands, and the growing Thirteen years after the first provocations of its fishing militia version of the Quad succumbed T H E A N C H O R I S S U E 2 6 P A G E 3 Vale Commodore Professor Sam Bateman Prof Sam hundreds of naval School of International Studies Bateman was officers and other (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological honoured at maritime University, Singapore. He ANCORS’ professionals, remained an advisor to the 25th including the Maritime Security Programme at Anniversary current Chief of RSIS for almost two decades, dinner last Navy. splitting his time between year. Photo: The Law of the Sea Australia and Singapore each year. P. Jones courses While his time in Singapore established by reduced over the years, he was This article is originally an October Professor Bateman, first delivered still presenting seminars at RSIS in 23, 2020 media release written by in 1994, have been offered his eightieth year. Dist. Professor Stuart Kaye and continuously (with updates) ever Sam’s deeply held sense of Andrew Herring at URL: since and remain popular today. purpose was always evident. He www.uow.edu.au/media/2020/vale- They have even been delivered devoted his career to maritime commodore-professor-sam-bateman- online as part of UOW’s short security - both directly through his am-ran-rtd.php. courses offerings during the naval service and then more COVID-19 pandemic. broadly as an internationally It is with sadness that the Sam completed his PhD at the renowned educator, academic, University of Wollongong (UOW) University of NSW while Director commentator and strategic marks the passing of former of the then Centre for advisor. founding director of the Australian Maritime Policy and became a Professor Bateman remained in Centre for Ocean Resources and prolific author, writing and editing high demand as a conference Security (ANCORS), Professor many books and academic journal speaker, media commentator and Sam Bateman AM in Queensland articles on maritime strategic advisor right up to the time of his on Sunday 18 October 2020, aged issues, particularly focused on the passing. His contribution to UOW 82. East, South-East and South Asia and ANCORS was celebrated at Sam Bateman joined UOW after regions. Professor Bateman’s ANCORS’ 25th anniversary dinner retiring from the Royal Australian written work will continue to in October 2019. Navy in 1993 at the senior rank of influence scholars in the field for Commodore, establishing the many years to come. Centre for Maritime Policy in Professor Bateman established 1994 as a joint venture between links with several foreign the Navy and the University. universities while at UOW, Aimed at providing academic building relationships that have analysis and education in maritime flourished and endured.