Indian Navy’s Outreach Initiative
The 4th edition of Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) 2023 was held on 29-31 October 2023 by the Indian Navy under the aegis of Naval War College, Goa. GMC is the Indian Navy’s outreach initiative providing a multinational platform to harness the collective wisdom of practitioners of maritime security and the academia towards garnering outcome oriented maritime thought.
Previous editions of the biennial event were held in 2017, 2019, and 2021. The Conclave provides a forum for exchange of views by the Chiefs of Navy/ Heads of Maritime Agencies on dealing with contemporary and future maritime challenges, as well as presenting cooperative strategies for enhancing interoperability amongst partner maritime agencies.
The theme for the 2023 edition of GMC was Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean Region: Converting Common Maritime Priorities into Collaborative Mitigating Frameworks, which was derived keeping in mind the necessity of ‘synergising and collaborating efforts’ in the maritime domain towards achieving maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
At the GMC-23, Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff of Indian Navy hosted Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Maritime Forces/ Senior Representatives from 12 Indian Ocean littorals, including Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Maldives, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Emphasising the evolution of GMC into a functional framework addressing transnational challenges in the IOR, Adm R Hari Kumar, noted that addressing these challenges cooperatively was essential.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the Chief Guest and delivered the Keynote Address of GMC-23. He underscored the responsibility of IOR countries to collaborate and combat threats emerging from the sea, emphasising mutual trust as a prerequisite for cooperation.
The Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi delivered a Special Address. She highlighted India’s rich maritime history and the significance of cooperation and capacity building for the region’s resilience and prosperity.
Vice Adm MA Hampiholi, the FOC-in-C Southern Naval Command, and Adm Arun Prakash (retd), former Chief of the Naval Staff, also addressed the delegates.
The Conclave participants benefitted from interactions with eminent speakers and subject matter experts over four sessions focusing on:
Identifying Gaps in Regulatory and Legal Frameworks for Achieving Maritime Security in the IOR
Formulation of a Common Multi-lateral Maritime Strategy and Operating Protocols for GMC Nations for Collective > Mitigation of Maritime Threats and Challenges
Identification and Establishment of Collaborative Training Programmes with Center of Excellence across the IOR
Leveraging Activities Pursued Through Existing Multilateral Organisations in the IOR towards Generating Collective Maritime competencies”.
The fourth Conclave continued the quest to find regional solutions to the regional security challenges in the IOR, and becoming an ‘outcome-oriented’ forum by converting Common Maritime Priorities into Collaborative Mitigating Frameworks.
Keynote Address
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh October 30 stressed the need to build trust among countries on the maritime front through dialogue and said common maritime priorities of tackling climate change, controlling piracy, terrorism and drug trafficking should be addressed in cooperation.
“How do we build trust? We build trust through dialogues such as the GMC, joint exercises, industrial collaboration, sharing of resources, respecting international law etc.,” Singh said, adding that the trust amongst cooperating countries will lead to optimal outcomes in common maritime priorities. “Since our countries interact with each other on a multitude of issues. It is possible to build trust by discussion and consultation with each other,” the defence minister said.
Quoting the Sanskrit adage ‘Sanghe Shakti Kaliyuge’, Singh said in the present era, strength lies in collaboration and cooperation, and cooperative equilibrium can also be achieved in international relations.
“In our context, common maritime priorities such as tackling climate change, controlling piracy, terrorism, drug trafficking and overfishing at the high seas need to be addressed by all of us cooperatively. “If the threats that we face are supranational in scope and impact, international efforts to address them will indeed have limited effects,” the defence minister said, adding that regional challenges can be managed through multinational collaborative mitigation frameworks. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a challenge related to over-exploitation of resources in the region, Singh said.
IUU fishing threatens the ecosystem, economic security and regional and global food security, he said, adding that it is a common maritime priority to control IUU fishing. Multinational collaboration efforts for the compilation, coalition and sharing of surveillance data was the need of the hour, he said.
“It will help in identifying actors with irregular or threatening behaviour, which needs to be countered resolutely,” Singh added. He further said that the “pandemic of climate irresponsibility” will threaten societies, and just like the recent pandemic (COVID-19), there is a vaccine available (for the climate pandemic).
“It is a vaccine of collaboration, climate responsibility and climate justice. If all countries accept the responsibility to cut the emission by investing in green economy and shared technology, there is no reason why humanity cannot overcome this problem as well,” Singh said.Our narrow immediate interests tempt us to flout or disrespect the international laws, but doing so will lead to the breakdown of civilised maritime intercourse, he said. “The law of the jungle will be the result of such narrowness. Our common security and prosperity cannot be preserved without all committing cooperatively and adhering to maritime rules,” Singh said.
Navy Chief’s Four Principles
Indian Navy Chief Adm Hari Kumar put forward a set of four principles aimed at fostering deeper relations among the states in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
He expressed India’s willingness “to take lead in developing the training and capacity building pillar,” in alignment with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR).
His first suggestion involved the establishment of a dynamic working mechanism that is “structure light, but functionally heavy.” Based on common maritime priorities (CMPs), this would encompass maritime law, information, strategy and protocols, as well as training and capacity building. The second proposal emphasised the leveraging of unique capabilities and expertise brought to the table by each state.
Admiral Kumar said that “each one of us could bring to the table certain unique capabilities and expertise,” such as proficiency in maritime law, counteracting sea-borne narcotics trade, maritime surveillance, and environmental stewardship. This he said “would also lay the foundation for establishing regional Centres of Excellence (CoE)” in addition to “developing and operationalising the mitigation framework for addressing CMPs”.
Furthermore, the navy chief highlighted the importance of developing CoEs as central hubs for maritime security information within the IOR. As an example, he cited the establishment of the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram. This initiative underlined India’s role as the primary guardian of the Indian Ocean, serving as a “net security provider” that fosters collaboration among regional countries to ensure global commons’ security, freedom of navigation, and protection against various challenges including piracy, terrorism, gun-running, narcotics, human migration, and illegal fishing.
Lastly, Admiral Kumar suggested streamlining and prioritising efforts under bilateral, mini-lateral, and multi-lateral constructs in the IOR.
