Sea Power Series: Protecting the Ability to Trade in the Indian Ocean Maritime Economy

The Indian Ocean is a region of great diversity, great potential and great importance. It is significant because of the global and intra-regional trade which passes through it and for the value of its marine resources. It is important not just for the nations which face its waters, but for all nations around the world which depend on the global maritime trading system for which the Indian Ocean is such a crucial part. Notwithstanding its importance, the security architecture of the Indian Ocean region has received far less attention than most other parts of the world and certainly far less than it warrants. As a result, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), as one of the few pieces of regional security architecture, has a vital role in promoting good order at sea.

Maritime security is an enduring, multilateral task, which defies easy geographic definition. It is by necessity a collaborative activity, as no nation has the capacity to provide ubiquitous protection for all of its maritime interests. As such, the focus of the IONS Seminar held in Perth in March 2014 was Protecting the Ability to Trade in the Indian Ocean Maritime Economy.