Maritime Security in the East Asian and Pacific Region

1. Introduction

a. Enhancing the safety, security, and environmental protection of strategic waterways, particularly in Southeast Asia, is a concern of both those states responsible for safeguarding these waters and user states that seek the free flow of shipping and commerce. 

b. The U.S. seeks to identify common concerns and requirements and develop mechanisms to jointly address the different situations and priorities in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. These include the implementation of various interagency programs and activities that deal with piracy, illegal migration, trafficking in persons, transnational crime, counternarcotics, and counterterrorism.

c. Working with like-minded countries, our common goal is to develop a partnership of willing nations to enhance overall capabilities and capacities to identify, monitor, and respond to maritime threats consistent with legal authorities and frameworks. The key to achieving this common goal is fostering both bilateral and multilateral cooperation and assistance.

2. The National Strategy for Maritime Security (NSMS), US Department of State, and EAP Region

a. Signed by the President in September 2005, the NSMS and its eight supporting plans serve as the U.S. guidepost for implementing maritime security. A collaborative interagency effort led by the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, the NSMS mandates a comprehensive national effort to promote global economic stability and protect legitimate activities, while preventing hostile or illegal acts within the maritime domain.

b. The primary role of the State Department in this effort is to foster an international outreach and coordination strategy. Working with international partners both bilaterally and multilaterally remains the central function of the State Department's in the area of global maritime security. Regional maritime security regimes are a major component of the NSMS and are essential for ensuring the effective security of regional seas. Therefore, the U.S. will promote the development of cooperative mechanisms to allow for better coordination of regional measures against maritime threats that span national boundaries and jurisdictions.

c. The State Department leads the coordination of U.S. government initiatives that involve foreign governments and international organizations. In the EAP region, the goal is to promote regional cooperation while recognizing the sovereign right and responsibility of states to ensure the security of international sea lanes in their territorial seas. In this region, the focus is on enhancing security in the Malacca and Singapore Straits, the Andaman Sea, and the seas surrounding the Philippines.

3. Maritime Security Strategy in the EAP Context

a. The United States is working to achieve important aims in developing cooperative mechanisms with global partners to define an interoperable response capability. These cooperative mechanisms, which are meant to ensure coordination, should be based on the burden sharing of resources, the interoperability of our partners' various activities, the sustainability of our joint strategies, and the prevention of redundancy among other efforts regarding maritime security. However, each of these four aims must match both the priorities and needs of recipient states.

b. To achieve our maritime security goals, we work with a number of partners, including:
· Other agencies of the US government –Department of Defense, Coast Guard, and others 
· Responsible States – those with sovereign territory in strategic waterways, or littoral states
· User States – the international community and other donors
· Regional Forums – ASEAN, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and APEC
· International Organizations – International Maritime Organization (IMO), etc.
· Private Sector Partners – the shipping industry, the cruise liner industry, etc.

c. Our work with various partners focuses on planning, capacity building, information sharing, technical assistance, training and exercises, counterterrorism, and private sector outreach.

4. Developing Cooperative Mechanisms

a. IMO framework: The IMO convened a meeting in September 2005 in Jakarta on enhancing the safety, security, and environmental protection of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. Littoral states agreed to cooperate with user states on security issues. A follow-on regional meeting will occur in September 2006 and will be hosted by Malaysia to serve as a forum for littoral and user state coordination of maritime security assistance. User state donor assistance efforts recognize the littorals' sovereignty, territorial integrity of their waterways and the leadership role over their security.

b. Alameda User States Conference: A direct follow-on to the IMO meeting in Jakarta (under the IMO framework) and respecting the Batam Joint Statement of littoral states, user states (Australia, Japan, ROK, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, India, Norway, and the Philippines), various U.S. government agencies, the International Maritime Bureau, and private sector representatives held a meeting in Alameda, CA in February 2006. Sponsored by the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and hosted by the U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific division, the emphasis of the meeting was to focus littoral assistance requests and to coordinate potential donor contributions to enhance the safety, security, and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. 

c. Regional Fora: Not wanting to create new multilateral fora, the U.S. has worked with ARF and ASEAN to increase awareness of maritime security issues and press for progress. APEC and the U.S. have together focused on enhancing maritime security under the Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) agenda. In coordinating our efforts with these regional fora, we must develop cooperative mechanisms because these international organizations are generally not geared to take specific actions, but instead serve as forums for exchanging views on maritime security.

5. Maritime Security and Counterterrorism

a. Mindful of the distinctions between concerns regarding the potential impediment of transit through the Straits of Malacca and the immediate threat in the seas surrounding the Philippines, maritime security initiatives will also support US counterterrorism objectives for the EAP region.

b. Maritime security efforts conducted under the NSMS complement counterterrorism efforts, although care will need to be taken not to duplicate components of regional counterterrorism plans,

c. A key distinction between the two efforts is that maritime security is long-term and developmental while counterterrorism is immediate and operational.