 "maritime security")
Underlining that global commons are getting "contested", top admirals from the UK, France and the US on Friday pitched for forging partnership between like-minded nations to respond to ongoing crises in the world, provide stability, reduce risks and restore confidence.
Navy Chief Adm R Hari Kumar; Adm Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, the UK; Adm John C Aquilino, Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command; Adm Nicolas Vaujour, Chief of the Naval Staff, France; and Air Marshal Robert Chipman, Chief of the Air Force, Australia took part in a panel discussion titled 'From the Aegean Sea to the South China Sea: Responding to Maritime Sieges', held at the Raisina Dialogue here.
"If you can see what is happening in the South China Sea, and Red Sea where people are seeking to impose their will on the global commons... then that ripple will be felt far and wide, and not just in that point. And, this is what separates the maritime environment from the land environment," Adm Key said.
Navies will have to work in partnership, because no one navy can cover all the points of the world at the same time, he said, adding, "We are so intertwined that actually we are obligated to work together.
"And, we are just having to adapt ourselves, for the first time that in many decades, the fact that the global commons are contested in a way that they have not been for a long time, and the impact of that, if we do not respond, will be felt by us all, not by only those who are in the locality where the contestation is taking place," he said.
Adm Vaujour made reference to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and said the paradigm was shifting from a "competition world" towards a "contestation and confrontation world".
"We were competitive altogether and it was good, free flow of commerce...and now, everything is contested, not only the global commons are contested, and the sea is a global commons, but also sovereignty of the state is contested, and sovereignty is not only small islands it is also financial, economic, where all the pillars of sovereignty are contested," he said.
The French admiral cited the example of the Black Sea and how the Russia-Ukraine conflict is playing out in that region.
"My (French) Navy is a big navy, but not the biggest one, we are not able to do it alone. We need partnership, we need partnership to ensure and to respond to all the crises in the world right now, to provide stability, to reduce risks, and restore confidence," he added.
Admiral Kumar, in his address, said it is very evident right from the history of Athens that all those who have neglected the seas, have "paid a very heavy price", especially if it is a maritime nation.
And, when you look at the conflicts that are happening, whether it is Ukraine-Russia or Israel-Hamas, it is very evident, the changing character of warfare is very much true. It is "changing like a chameleon, we need to therefore adapt to the use of modern technology, niche technology, which are becoming more and more affordable," he added.
The cost of such technology is actually becoming lesser and lesser, with greater capabilities and the same is being adapted by non-state actors and even state-funded actors to carry out attacks or asymmetric warfare, he added.
Adm Aquilino said a lot of what everyone wants to talk about is the ways, so, whether it is the swarms of civilian fishing boats or military militia disguised as fishing boats, whether it is swarms of drones driven by a non-state actor or a small state actor to deliver effects, "we got to look at what is the purpose of the actions".
"So, whether it is the illegitimate, illegal war that Russia has waged against Ukraine, whether it is terrorist organisations yielding incredible devastations against civilian populations," he added. Adm Aquilino said the strategy of the US is to "deliver a free and open Indo-Pacific, that is not for one nation, that is all for all nations".
"The imposition of a man-made island to extend your EEZ, so through legal means you can claim that you now own all of the South China Sea. That's the problem for all nations, it is not just a problem for the US," he said, adding, "We can't do it alone, and we are stronger when we do it together".
He also asserted that the US-India relationship has certainly "grown exponentially", and added that "our ability to share information is like never before. Some of that is based on actions that occurred on the Indian northern border".
Air Marshal Chipman said Australia sees the Indo-Pacific as the "epicentre of great power competition between China and the US", adding it has tried to uphold its values in Australia.
"The network of allies and partners that we build in our region, like-minded group of nation that are committed to international law, the principles of human rights and the principles of sovereignty of nations, it is that network of nations that will help us stand tall and deter coercion and deter military aggression in the region," he said.
In response to a query, he added, "All nations in the region are coming to the conclusion that they need to invest in their own strength and they need to work with allies and partners in order to maintain and preserve the balance of power in the region.
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