Robert D Kaplan contends that the Greater Indian Ocean, stretching eastward from the Horn of Africa including the Indian Subcontinent all the way to the Indonesian archipelago and beyond may comprise a map as iconic to the 21st century as Europe was to the previous one. With all the geopolitics in motion, he hoped that, this century would be less violent (relatively peaceful) [connotation mine] than the last one, but to a similar degree, it could have a recognizable geography. So today’s Greater Indian Ocean is Yesterday’s heartland. In this greater water stretch there lies a ganglia of global energy routes and quiet seemingly inexorable rise of developing Asian nations.
The major part of this recognizable geography is its western half which has remained at the spotlight of the post Cold War era maritime, economic, military and diplomatic activities. The zone is a vital conduit that offers trade routes to Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Australia. It has abundance of maritime economic resources but is equally challenged by a proliferation of security threats. Some important dynamics of this region include Yemen conflict, Saudi-Iran relations, rise of ISIS and the Arab Spring, all these shape the very character of this region. A few suggest that apart from being the energy conduit this region provides a linkage between East and West in terms of age of connectivity. Politically, the region has an odd mélange of various forms of governments from democracy to military dictatorship to monarchy. The zones of conflict include Somalia, Sudan, and countries with frail government structures having limited capacity for policing offshore activities. Illicit trade and unlawful activities have been flourishing in many parts of this region. For instance, absence of a central authority in Somalia at the most parts is responsible for the emergence of piracy. This predicament brewed along the Somalian coastline and reached from the Gulf of Aden, out to the Arabian Sea, and large portions of the Western Indian Ocean. Today though pirate attacks are less common due to military initiatives e.g. NATO Shipping Centre (NSC), European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA), Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) comprising number of Combined Task Forces (CTF), UK Maritime Trade Operations, (UKMTO) etc., they still continue to be a threat in this region often with increasing levels of violence. The transnational nature of these threats and vast relatively less regulated sea realm required a collaborative approach at regional as well as international level.
Being a major player in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Pakistan has been playing its role as a responsible maritime nation to promote regional peace and harmony. Not only has it been a chief contributor in CTFs, it has embarked upon a recent initiative known as Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP) while still retaining its active engagement with CTFs. The RMSP has the potential to draw regional countries to join hands in a coordinated framework that assigns the maritime security mandate of the region to the countries that are located within it. While seas used to be regarded as common heritage of mankind in pre-UN Convention on Law of the Sea (1982) era, the newer coordinated initiatives subject them under collective responsibility in the Kaplan’s less violent 21st century especially in the western Indian Ocean.
In the words of Quaid e Azam, one of our founding principle of state was to “have peace within and peace without”. That was to live peacefully and maintain cordial / friendly relations with the world at large including our neighbours. In the same spirit the present Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi has reiterated that “Pakistan does not harbour any aggressive designs, and our forces, including the Navy, are fully prepared to face any challenge”, and that “any disguised or unnatural arrangement for supremacy would not succeed, nor would it serve the purpose of peace and stability”. He has also asserted on many occasions that “Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness”. Recently in his message on the Defence Day of Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that “Pakistan believes in peaceful co-existence”. In fact the desire for peace is the cornerstone of Pakistan’s aspirations that echoes in speeches of almost all civil and military leaders.
It is not a coincidence that Pakistan shot down an Indian spy quadcopter on the Line of Control (Satwal Sector) at the dawn of the new year precisely on 02 Jan 19. One, it is a new year reminder that we have to remain mindful of the nefarious designs lurking in the neighbourhood. And two, it re-invigorates our resolve and commitment towards defending our great country no matter how minute the scale of incursion is! Let alone our adversary’s exasperated and unfulfilled desire of surgical strike, the occurrence exemplifies that though peace remains our resolve, at the same time we are prepared to take on all threats we might be challenged with.
Going back to peace, it is not only in our own interest to have safe and freely navigable seas in the region but also in the interests of other countries of this region and beyond who rely heavily on the cheapest mode of trade through a grid of Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs). Taking stock of Pakistan’s reliance on sea trade and its assigned responsibilities of protecting maritime interests, Pakistan Navy in 2007 took the initiative of organizing multinational naval exercise called AMAN which means peace in English. AMAN is a biennial exercise, its purpose is to promote cooperation and interoperability between the regional and extra regional navies operating in the IOR. With its kick start in 2007, 28 countries participated that proved to be an instant success. So far in the series, five exercises have been conducted which have seen increased participation from our friends and partners. AMAN-19 is scheduled in the month of Feb making it the sixth one. So far 43 countries have confirmed (still counting) their participation comprising naval platforms, Special Operating Forces (SOF), Marines, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams, and Observers. Australia, China, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, UK and US are regular contributors to name a few. The idea of multi-country naval exercises is not a new one and has precedent in different regions across the world. The net sum advantage is mutual cooperation and harmony apart from sharing of experiences and interoperability in the hour of need.
The AMAN concept revolves around collaborative maritime security by building partnerships for making sea a safer place for sea fearers and merchant shipping. The exercise has the following salient objectives:
o. Develop coalition building and multi-layered security cooperation that promotes a safe and sustainable maritime environment.
o. Enhance tactical interoperability between regional and extra regional navies thereby acting as a bridge between the regions.
o. Project positive image of Pakistan as a country contributing towards regional peace and stability.
o. Consolidate Pakistan Navy’s (PN) position in the regional maritime arena.
o. Display of united resolve against terrorism and crimes in maritime domain.
o. Intermingling of multinationals with depiction of their respective cultures.
The exercise programme is a nice assortment of harbour and sea activities with a flavour of ceremonial, international culture, sports activities apart from hard core military maneuvers and exercises to hone skills/ practicing responses against Maritime Security threats. The programme also includes International Maritime Conference (IMC) under the aegis of National Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR). NCMPR has been instrumental in hosting large participation of visiting navies in a very conducive environment in the previous AMAN exercises. The topics have been ranging from prevailing maritime threats to wider subjects of fishery preservation to climate change remedies under an overlying theme of maritime security in IOR. The proceedings do not end there, rather NCMPR analyzes the ideas shared at this forum and extracts and designs relevant policy options, response strategies and operating procedures for the government and the regional countries to formulate viable strategies against the most pressing issues.
Exercise AMAN with an enduring slogan as “Together for Peace” has consolidated to become a jewel in the PN calendar of activities being considered as one of the top forums in the region for collaborative naval activities. It is a testimony to PN’s accumulated professional acumen, knowledge, expertise and well worked up naval tactical procedures that can accommodate a much larger participation of platforms at sea. Taking leverage of having commanded CTFs for number of times, it provides confidence to the participating navies to join hands in protecting global commons, share experiences, and rehearse responses while at the same time acknowledging PN to be a reckonable naval force. Let us hope that our shared desire for peace gains winds as we continue to endeavor towards a world defined by harmony and peace in general and North Arabian Sea in particular. “Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth”. Menachem Begin.
