National Maritime Foundation (India)

𝐃𝐚𝐲 2 | 7𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 (𝐄𝐀𝐒) 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐕: 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬  Day 2 of the conference started with a session which examined the need to move beyond capacity-building towards actionable capability enhancement and regional cooperation to address evolving transboundary maritime challenges. The session was moderated by Vice Admiral Ashok G Kumar SSA (Retd.), Former National Maritime Security Coordinator, India.  The session featured:  🔹 Prof. Bradley Jensen Murg, Professor and Provost, SGS Paragon International University and Senior Fellow, CICP, Cambodia- highlighted the importance of strengthening existing regional mechanisms, conducting multi-agency exercises, building legal capacity, enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), and measuring outcomes rather than inputs.  🔹 Cmde Sujeet Samaddar (@sujeetsamaddar ), Visiting Fellow, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) (@RIS_NewDelhi ), India- emphasised the distinction between cooperation and collaboration, advocating a graded, outcome-driven approach to information sharing, joint capability development, and institutional mechanisms.  🔹 Mr. Kyaw Nyunt Lwin, Executive Member, Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (MISIS) (@MyanmarISIS ) , Myanmar- highlighted Myanmar’s maritime priorities, including combating IUU fishing, trafficking and illicit maritime activities, strengthening MDA, and enhancing regional cooperation for sustainable blue economy and maritime security.  🔹 Dr. Tran My Hai Loc, Vice Dean, Faculty of International Relations, UEF - Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, Vietnam- underscored the importance of security, ocean environmental protection, operational data sharing and UNCLOS as foundations for building trust and practical regional maritime cooperation.  The moderator, in his concluding remarks, emphasised that maritime threats are inherently transnational and therefore require a multinational approach, including stronger MDA networks, multi-agency exercises, information sharing on maritime crimes, joint operations, capacity-sharing, cooperation and greater focus on non-traditional maritime security threats. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. @SKSharma_World @cmec_ris @MEAIndia @AusHCIndia @nmfindia @ASEAN @China_Amb_India @NZinIndia @dfat @NSCPhil @indiatoasean @indembmanila @HCICanberra @IndiainNZ @EOIBeijing @hcikl @IndianEmbJkt @HCIBrunei @PV_Chat @DakshinNews #EAS #MaritimeSecurity #RegionalCooperation #MaritimeDomainAwareness #CapacityBuilding #IndoPacific

| 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 7th EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation The 7𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐢, bringing together policymakers, practitioners, experts and scholars from across the EAS region.  The inaugural session featured remarks from: Dr. Pankaj Vashisht ( @PV_Chat ) , Associate Professor and Coordinator, ASEAN-India Centre (AIC), RIS;  Prof. Sachin Kumar Sharma (@SKSharma_World ) , Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) ( @RIS_NewDelhi ) ; Cmde Manish Sinha, Senior Fellow and Director (Training and Education), National Maritime Foundation- NMF ( @nmfindia );  Dr. Sacha Blumen, Director, Southeast Asia Strategy and Maritime Security Branch, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( @dfat ) ; Major General Nestor C. Herico, PN (M) (Ret), Deputy Director General National Security Council of the Philippines ( @NSCPhil ); Dr Thelma John David, Joint Secretary (Indo-Pacific), Ministry of External Affairs ( @MEAIndia ), Government of India  Key highlights of the session included the need for stronger maritime domain awareness, information sharing, capacity building and practical cooperation; addressing emerging challenges such as critical undersea infrastructure, IUU fishing, climate change, marine pollution and emerging technologies; and freedom of navigation and respect for sovereignty. The session highlighted 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞. @cmec_ris @AusHCIndia @ASEAN @China_Amb_India @NZinIndia @indiatoasean @indembmanila @HCICanberra @IndiainNZ @EOIBeijing @hcikl @IndianEmbJkt @HCIBrunei @DakshinNews #EAS2026 #MaritimeSecurity #IndoPacific #MaritimeCooperation #ASEANIndia #IORA

7𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐈𝐈 | 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠  The session was moderated by Cmde Manish Sinha, Senior Fellow and Director (Training and Education), National Maritime Foundation- NMF (@nmfindia ) , India, and focused on strengthening Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), regional information-sharing mechanisms, technological integration and institutional cooperation to enhance maritime security across the Indo-Pacific.  The session featured:  🔹 Capt Sachin Kumar Singh, IN, Director, Information Fusion Centre- Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)(@IFC_IOR ) , India- highlighted the importance of timely and reliable information sharing in building a common maritime operational picture. He outlined the role of IFC-IOR in maritime domain awareness, regional coordination, capacity building and operational responses, emphasizing trust, collaboration and information fusion among maritime stakeholders.  🔹 Dr. Mohammad Zaki Ahmad, Associate Professor and Director, Asian Institute of International Affairs and Diplomacy, Universiti Utara Malaysia (@uumnews ) - examined the role of Maritime domain awareness in addressing Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, highlighting the importance of data fusion, cross-border information sharing, interoperability and coordinated enforcement to protect marine resources and strengthen maritime governance.  🔹 Lt Col Amandeep (AD) Singh (Retd), Former Director, Ministry of Defence, Government of India- highlighted the growing role of technology, satellite-based surveillance, AI-driven analytics and integrated information-sharing networks in advancing Maritime awareness domain. He emphasized regional trust, institutional interoperability and multilateral cooperation as key to developing a more connected and responsive maritime security architecture.  The session underscored that the effectiveness of maritime domain awareness lies not only in seeing more, but in sharing information, building trust and translating shared awareness into coordinated action. @SKSharma_World @cmec_ris @RIS_NewDelhi @MEAIndia @AusHCIndia @nmfindia @ASEAN @China_Amb_India @NZinIndia @dfat @NSCPhil @indiatoasean @indembmanila @HCICanberra @IndiainNZ @EOIBeijing @hcikl @IndianEmbJkt @HCIBrunei @PV_Chat @DakshinNews #EAS2026 #MaritimeSecurity #MaritimeCooperation #IndoPacific #UNCLOS #RegionalCooperation