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naval cooperation: a view from australia
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involved the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and participants from Indonesia, New
Zealand, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Thailand. India also hosted
an international fleet review in Bombay in February 2001 involving ships from 20
navies, followed by multilateral PASSEX manoeuvres.
Multilateral forums and conferences
Multilateral naval forums have great potential to promote cooperation between navies.
Involvement of naval personnel in other official cooperative security forums promotes
naval interaction. Participation of naval personnel in relevant conferences is another
form of naval cooperation, for example:
The Western Pacific Navy Symposium … gathers representatives of
the navies of the ASEAN states … for a frank exchange of views on a
wide range of issues, including the law of the sea and SLOC [sea line of
communication] protection. It is a unique forum and a significant step
towards better understanding among regional navies. 2
Maritime information exchange
The establishment of a maritime information database is a step towards greater
regional cooperation and enhancing maritime security. Such databases include
information on shipping, ports, marine environmental issues, regional hydrographic
and oceanographic data, piracy and other illegal activities at sea that may pose threats
to commercial and other civilian maritime traffic. Many authorities already collect much
of this information on a national basis, yet there are many benefits to establishing a freeaccess,
open-source regional database. It acts as both an information source and a means
for enhancing information exchange and confidence building. A current initiative,
sponsored by the RAN and developed by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology
Organisation, is the Strategic Maritime Information System. This software application
can store information which is easily accessible in user-friendly formats, including
maps and charts. The software is designed to provide information on: territories and
maritime boundaries of regional states; ports and maritime transport facilities; trade
routes; shipping movements; environmental and meteorological data; and reports both
of illegal activities at sea and marine pollution. The program has potential to function
as the basis for better maritime information exchange and cooperation to the benefit
of all users, including navies.
Another example of naval information exchange is the US Pacific Command’s Asia-
Pacific Area Network internet site which provides unclassified information on regional
security issues, in addition to its primary task of facilitating communications for the
planning and coordination of coalition operations: