Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Exchange will examine emerging capabilities and capacity 

Attend this event online

The Honolulu Council of the Navy League is once again hosting the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Exchange (IMSE), a conference that brings voices from the Indo-Pacific together to discuss maritime security issues in the region. The event will take place August 3^rd and 4^th as an online symposium. 

“Our agenda is designed to stimulate a conversation,” said Larry Osborn, a retired Navy captain and president of the Navy League’s Pacific Region.   

In a basic sense, IMSE looks at maritime security in its four key elements: freedom of navigation, unrestricted flow of commerce, the protection of ocean resources, and the exclusive rights of sovereign nations in their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs); an overarching theme is building partnerships for security, stability, and prosperity. IMSE will feature senior maritime leaders and subject matter experts from the region as speakers and panelists examining a broad range of topics to include the strengthening of multi-national maritime military capability, capacity building efforts that include security assistance and cooperation, law-enforcement on the high seas, and diplomatic efforts. 

According to the IMSE website, nearly all of the thirty-six countries that comprise the Indo-Pacific region are maritime nations. The region contains nine of the ten busiest seaports in the world and more than half of global maritime trade transits the region. The national sovereignty and economic well-being of nations in the region are dependent on the maintenance of the rule of law and international norms on the high seas as described in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Today this rule of law is being challenged by expansionist territorial claims in the South China Sea, harassment of foreign vessels in international waters, and IUU fishing. Countering these threats to maritime security in the region requires the collaborative efforts of like-minded nations in the military, diplomatic, law-enforcement, and commercial arenas.  

Osborn said the IMSE team strives to have half of the speakers be representatives from the various countries in the region. “Specifically, we want to give a voice to all the nations large and small to include Pacific Islanders, as well as some of the more some of the larger nations, like Japan, or the Republic of Korea. Collectively, our peace, security and prosperity are dependent on the seas.” 

The 2023 conference content will be divided into three segments. “The first segment is going to look at illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and its nexus with transnational crime. The second segment will examine the various treaties, alliances and affiliations in the region and how they interplay. In our third segment, we will focus on emerging maritime capabilities, starting with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the Chinese Maritime Militia.  We’ll also look at some of the navies in the region to include Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, and others. And I think each of them has a story to tell about their navies and their emerging capabilities and capacity,” said Osborn.  

As examples, Osborn points to India’s indigenous aircraft carrier; acquisition of MH 60 Romeo helicopters and P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which will give them enhanced anti-submarine warfare capability, as well as a future buy of “Multi-Role Carrier-Borne Fighters.” 

“India occupies a very strategic position on the sea lanes between Asia and the Middle East and Europe.  And they are expanding their ability to keep those sea lanes open and secure,” he said.  “Japan has announced that they’re going to develop counter strike capability and they’re also enhancing their destroyer fleet with anti-ballistic missile capabilities. The Republic of Korea is building large amphibious ships to respond anywhere in the region to a crisis or humanitarian disaster. Taiwan has an indigenous frigate construction program underway to replace their mostly-hand-me-down surface combatants and is building eight submarines of its own design. There are other examples, too, in the region.”   

Another facet of emerging capabilities is in the arena of maritime domain awareness. “We’ll be looking at the technologies involved in delivering maritime domain awareness, from aggregators and processors to collectors and sensors,” Osborn said. 

 In the final series of panels, senior maritime leaders will examine the increased transparency of the oceans and how to make sense of it or act upon it. 

The attendees will learn about “fusion centers” such as the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) is a regional Maritime Security (MARSEC) center hosted by Singapore, and the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean region, hosted by India.  “We’ll discuss the foundation of the technologies that make these fusion centers work, and how operators and data are brought together.” 

“Today’s operators are faced with huge amounts of data, but with the right analytical tools, including artificial intelligence, they can detect anomalies and draw an operator’s attention to where it needs to be, and determine the best course of action,” said Osborn. 

According to Osborn, the content will appeal to a broad audience. “Anybody interested in maritime security or sustainable fishing, will find the conference content very compelling.” 

He said the on-line format makes it easy to attend, “No matter where you are in the world, you can log-in and see the most recent content or see other material that has already been posted.” 

The cost to register is just $15.00, but Navy League members can register for free. 

The major sponsor for this year’s IMSE is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has a large interest in protecting sustainable fishing for coastal nations. 

For more information:  https://www.imsehawaii.org/  

To register:  https://www.imsehawaii.org/registration.html