Maritime Domain Awareness: A 21st Century Imperative

The nature of the security challenges emanating in and from the maritime domain has led to the term ‘Maritime Domain Awareness’ or MDA, becoming a frequently used term in the maritime security lexicon of the 21st century. It gained prominence in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 200, which led to the realisation that the vast and largely unregulated ocean spaces surrounding the US make it equally vulnerable to an attack from the sea, and underscored the importance of gaining adequate awareness about developments in the maritime domain.

MDA has been defined by the International Maritime Organisation as the ‘effective understanding of any activity associated with the maritime environment that could impact upon the security, safety, economy or environment. It is a multi-dimensional concept and relies upon multiple sources of information including space, air, surface, underwater, cyber, electronic, human, and visual amongst others. For it to be effective, its collection, fusion, analysis, display and dissemination to all stakeholders is essential.

Importance of MDA

The oceans are critical to the future sustenance and economic well-being of humankind. 70% of the earth is covered by water, 80% of the global population lives near the coast and almost 90% of global trade and energy travels over the sea. Hence, the importance of MDA is not restricted only to maritime security in the traditional sense of the term, or the events happening in one’s vicinity on the sea, but in this ‘Century of the Seas, it is more about developing a better understanding of the entire maritime domain, be it marine ecology, the marine biosphere, the impact of climate change, the sustainable exploitation of the oceans, maritime transportation and connectivity, the livelihood and development of coastal communities, environmental aspects, marine hydrology or the mysteries of the deep. With the nature of the traditional, non-traditional and transnational threat at sea impacting every activity in the maritime domain, be it trade, energy, environmental or infrastructural (submarine cables and pipelines), MDA has developed a distinct maritime security connotation.

The nature of the oceans as a unifying medium providing global connectivity is increasingly being threatened with the world becoming increasingly confrontational; trouble spots are simmering across the globe, and as the two current conflicts have shown, even those that are restricted to a narrow geographic region have a maritime dimension with far reaching economic consequences.

The ocean spaces are vast and dynamic, and it is beyond the capacity of any single country to ensure effective MDA. It is therefore important for nations to combine their resources through cooperative mechanisms to enable more comprehensive and accurate MDA.

In the period between 2008 and 2013, it had taken more than 20 navies over five years to quell Somalian piracy in the Horn of Africa; young disaffected lads in small skiffs wielding Kalashnikovs were able to hold the global economy to ransom. The asymmetry could not have been more striking, and underlined the importance of effective MDA.

MDA in the Indo-Pacific

It was the scourge of piracy in the Horn of Africa that led to a major thrust on developing a coordinated response to the emerging threats at sea. A number of multinational frameworks were established in the western Indian Ocean to support the anti-piracy effort, which greatly enhanced regional MDA. Over the years, the existing infrastructure has been augmented, the improvement in technology has widened the means, and a shared recognition of the need for a collective response has enabled a far better understanding of MDA and, consequently, a more robust approach to it.

The shift in the geopolitical and geoeconomic centre of gravity to the Indo-Pacific and the predominantly maritime orientation of this construct has also brought with it challenges to a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’. This region accounts for two-thirds of the global population, generates more than 60% of the global GDP and almost 50% of global trade. Its importance to the global economy has led even traditionally Euro-centric countries and organisations, concerned about the safety of their trade and maritime interests, into promulgating their Indo-Pacific strategies.

MDA is now an integral part of the regional security discourse and even the Quad has introduced the ‘Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative (IPMDA), as an essential constituent in its commitment towards ensuring a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.

China’s rise and its maritime belligerence are a cause of concern across the region. This will soon spill over into the Indian Ocean as it will seek more space to project its maritime power and more significantly, gain access to the Atlantic Ocean. It is establishing a network of strategically located ports, bases and other infrastructure to increase its presence and to shape and influence events in the region.

The Indian MDA Effort

In India, following the audacious attack on Mumbai on 26 November 2008 the government undertook a major overhaul of the national maritime security architecture beginning with coastal security, with clearly demarcated responsibilities and an unambiguous command and contrp structure. In the 15 years or so since, it has made good progress but there is still room for improvement. The long awaited appointment of a National Maritime Security Coordinator ( NMSC) in 2022 is also an encouraging development.

As the leading Indian Ocean maritime power,and committd to a Free an Open Indo-Pacific, India takes its responsibility of ensuring a safe and secure maritime environment very seriously. Its actions over the years has firmly established its credentials as the preferred security partner in the region and the first responder in a crisis. 90% of India’s trade and 80% of its energy travels over the sea. Its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq. kms will be the key to its future sustenance. As India grows to a five trillion economy in the next couple of years, a 10 trillion dollar economy within a decade from now an a developed economy by 2047, its trade and energy requirements will grow exponentially.

India’s commitment to regional maritime security and MDA is driven by its SAGAR ( Security and Growth for All in the Region) policy of 2015, which aims to secure its strategic maritime areas of interest through inclusive, collaborative and cooperative capacity and capability enhancement, which will also be the foundation of a robust regonal MDA capability.

Undersea Domain Awareness

The oceans are less about what one sees on the surface and more about what one does not see within its depths. Hence the need for Underwater Domain Awareness or UDA. This is often overlooked in the general discourse on MDA. With humankind increasingly turning to the sea and developing various Blue Economy initiatives to exploit the oceans, there is a need to understand what the deep has to offer. This can only be done through extensive underwater research, seabed mapping, resource extraction, and understanding the acoustic dynamics of the ocean, which are driven by environmental conditions and can vary considerably from day to day and region to region.

The ocean depths are being used for offshore exploration and drilling, deep sea fishing, offshore wind farms, marine scientific research, etc. Underwater pipelines are connecting continents and global connectivity is possible only through undersea cables over which more than 90% of the internet travels. All of this is being weaponised to trigger major disruptions with potentially catastrophic global consequences.

From a military perspective, the efficacy of submarine deployments, the credibility of sea based strategic deterrence and the conduct of undersea warfare are all dependent on the knowledge of the underwater battlespace. Hence the frequent presence of Chinese research vessels carrying out underwater research in the Indian Ocean.

Conclusion

The subject of MDA is almost as vast as the oceans themselves. The importance of the oceans and their vulnerability from traditional, non-traditional and transnational threats has highlighted the importance of MDA as the cornerstone of maritime security. For any maritime nation in a maritime world, effective MDA is a 21st century strategic imperative.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Commodore Anil Jai Singh, is a former submariner and Anti-Submarine Warfare specialist.  He is also the Vice President of the Indian Maritime Foundation, an Honorary Adjunct Fellow of the National Maritime Foundation and is on the Governing Body of the Society for Indian Ocean Studies. He has been a member of the Defence Audit Advisory Board and has co-chaired the Defence and Aerospace Committee of ASSOCHAM, a leading Indian industry association.  During his three decades in the Navy, he had the distinction of commanding four submarines and a Fleet ship. He was the Deputy Assistant Chief (Maritime) in the Perspective Planning branch of the MoD’s Integrated Defence Staff.


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