INTERNATIONAL MARITIME CONFERENCE Partnering Together for a Secure Maritime Future 07-08 FEBRUARY 2016 Visakhapatnam, India Contents About the International Fleet Review 2016 3 About the National Maritime Foundation 5 Concept Note 7-9 Conference Programme 11-14 Profiles of Speakers and Abstracts 15-51 Conference Coordination Team 52 1 International Fleet Review 2016 The geographical configuration and a strong historical narrative accords India with a unique maritime disposition. These factors have ensured that the maritime domain with linked issues of international trade and commerce besides socio-cultural, ideational and civilisational exchanges have remained integral to national discourse. Though the nation witnessed a relative maritime decline in the latter half of the last millennium, certain aspects such as the robust shipbuilding industry, the memorable exploits of the Maratha and Malabar navies and valuable contributions in both the World Wars bear testimony to India’s sustained maritime orientation. In the post-independence period, the capabilities and the capacity of the Indian Navy have grown steadily and it is widely acknowledged as a professional blue water force. The progress of the Indian Navy in the last 25 years or so has virtually coincided with the rise of national political, economic, diplomatic and technological quotients. It is also worth reiterating that this rise is premised on long cherished tenets of peace, harmony, equipoise and respect for universal values that have underpinned India’s approach to international relations since its inception. Naval Fleet Reviews are a long-standing tradition of the navies world-over. From a historical standpoint, such events were held to showcase the naval preparedness as a prelude to war or a demonstration of maritime warfighting capabilities to deter potential adversaries. In contemporary context, this ‘hard military character’ of naval reviews has undergone a subtle change where assemblages of warships without belligerent intent is the norm. Leading nations, on suitable commemorative and celebratory occasions invite their maritime neighbours, to participate with their 3 ships in such proceedings. Generally termed as ‘International Fleet Review’, the event provides the host nation with an opportunity to display its maritime capabilities and mutual trust amongst the global maritime comity. In India, thus far, ten Reviews have been held, with the first in 1953 and the latest in 2011. The Review aims at assuring the country of Indian Navy’s preparedness, high morale and discipline. This is the eleventh Fleet Review but only our second International edition. The only previous IFR in India was conducted in February 2001, off Mumbai. This earned the country widespread appreciation and goodwill. The hosting of the International Fleet Review (IFR) by the Indian Navy, in February 2016, nearly 70 years after independence is a significant moment in the country’s maritime history. On 06 February 2016, the Honourable President of India, is scheduled to review the fleet of participating Indian and foreign warships off Visakhapatnam. While showcasing the Indian Navy to the nation and our sovereign, it is also a moment for celebrating valued principles of friendship across the oceans that are innate to the seafarers. It is in this spirit that India and the Indian Navy welcomes all our friends from distant parts of the world to the picturesque city of Visakhapatnam (Vizag) the venue for the Fleet Review. The coming together of many navies will also witness numerous other events and functions in a memorable week of action and interaction. The IFR logo depicts the three operating dimensions of the Navy, with a ship, submarine and an aircraft, and also letters I-F-R form an integral part of the logo. The Dolphin has been chosen as the mascot depicting friendship across oceans and the theme for the IFR 2016 is ‘United through Oceans’. 4 National Maritime Foundation The National Maritime Foundation (NMF) is India’s premier maritime think-tank and undertakes research across the complete continuum of ocean related activities. Launched on 15 February 2005 in Delhi by Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the then Raksha Mantri, the genesis of the National Maritime Foundation lies in a long-felt need to redress India’s historic neglect of its maritime security domain, and to fill an acute intellectual void by providing a common platform for discourse between maritime related institutions, organisations and disciplines. The objectives of NMF are: - (a) Promote maritime awareness within the country. (b) Conduct maritime studies and research across the entire spectrum of ocean activity. (c) Study factors affecting India’s maritime security to assist in the formulation of national security strategy. (d) Undertake studies on international relations with the aim of enhancing maritime cooperation (e) Study India’s maritime heritage. (f) Organise conferences, seminars and lectures on maritime issues of concern. (g) Establish libraries and information services to facilitate study of maritime subjects. 5 As the ocean is unbound, constantly in motion and ever changing, the logo of the NMF on the front cover encapsulates this dynamic energy. The representation of the rhythmic waves is unlimited by a border as they flow into eternity. The many layers of waves represent the diverse and munificent recourses of the ocean. A slice of the ocean is captured in a parallelogram to connote the window of opportunity for the NMF to harness, explore, research and monitor the many aspects of the ocean. The slanted form emphasizes the progressive and dynamic approach of the Foundation. Concept Note Partnering Together for a Secure Maritime Future The relationship between humans and the oceans extends as far as five millennia. It is also an accepted axiom that the seas have shaped the human destiny since antiquity. There is strong element of continuity and in the contemporary world the maritime domain offers a number of opportunities for economic and socio-cultural engagements. In the 21st Century, Asia is at the centre stage of the global economic, political and security discourse. The ‘Rise of Asia’ is largely attributed to the economic development as also greater geo-strategic heft in its maritime configured rim- land comprising established and emerging powers. While the rapid economic growth of the region has contributed to strong interdependence within and beyond Asia, the regional security environment faces new challenges emerging from changing power dynamics among states, ongoing maritime/territorial disputes and issues relating to freedom of navigation and over flight have become sharper. There are also visible anxieties related to regional naval modernisation programmes. However, non-traditional security threats and challenges have encouraged institutional mechanisms towards cooperative management of the sea areas for safe and secure environment. In this milieu, the navies make seminal contribution to peace and stability at regional and global levels that transcend narrow national interests. 7 This conference is divided in two sections; the first sub- theme of the conference examines ‘Importance of Oceans and Navies in Global Geo-strategic Matrix’ and within this, four issues merit attention: (a) Trends in the growth of maritime military power. (b) Imperatives for matching ends-ways-means towards a balanced forced structure to counter transnational and state centric challenges. (c) Institutional linkages for enhancing maritime security cooperation. (d) Maritime capacity building and capability enhancements. At another level, significant changes are at play in the oceanic domain and are driven by cooperative and competitive discourses with the traditional and new maritime players realigning their posture within this somewhat uncertain environment. A number of countries have announced new naval strategies or maritime policies while others are engaged in revising and refining their current approaches to naval and maritime developments. Although cooperation and competition are inherent in any relationship, it is the mechanics of competition management and enhancing cooperative agenda that is likely to shape the future of world’s oldest commons. The current trends acknowledge that cooperation is the key to secure seas for the global trade 8 and to disrupt the motives of non-state actors. The focus is on acquiring the capacity as well as the capabilities for overall economic development and social prosperity. The above discussion leads to the second sub-theme for the conference ‘Regional Perceptions and Approaches for Maritime Cooperative Engagements’. The salient subjects for elaboration are: (a) Managing competition in an uncertain but increasingly globalised oceanic commons. (b) Frameworks for enhancing interoperability at sea. (c) Maritime domain awareness as a tool for naval cooperation. (d) Relevance of existing international frameworks for conciliation and arbitration as resolution mechanism. 9 Conference Programme Day One (Sunday, 07 February 2016) 0800-0845 Registration 0900-0930 Inaugural Session Opening Remarks Admiral DK Joshi (Retd) Chairman, NMF Theme Address Admiral RK Dhowan Chief of the Naval Staff Keynote Address Shri Manohar Parrikar Raksha Mantri Vote of Thanks Vice Admiral Bimal Verma Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command 0930-1000 Tea 1000-1300 Session I Importance of Ocean and Navies in Global Geo-Strategic Matrix Moderator Admiral Madhvendra Singh (Retd), Former Chief of the Naval Staff, IN 11 Speakers