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BAY OF BENGAL MARITIME WORKSHOP- CHALLENGES EMERGING OUT OF THE COVID ENVIRONMENT
This program’s primary objective was to engage Bay of Bengal littoral states, South and Southeast Asian states, and with non-regional states to examine and provide policy insights on the challenges facing the Bay of Bengal. With an overt focus on maritime topics, the workshop also allowed vital discussions regarding the environment, economic conditions, and international relations to commence. NESA partnered with the National Maritime Foundation of India, one of India’s leading research institutions and the leading regional institution for discussions of Indian Ocean topics.
The workshop tackled numerous questions, particularly given the global disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of these questions include: how do regional challenges facing littoral states overlap with larger geopolitical topics? How can the challenges present in the Bay of Bengal be overcome and even potentially become the impetus for greater regional and multilateral cooperation?
The workshop brought together the expertise of NESA, the National Maritime Foundation, and other partnering institutions, including NESA’s sister center DKI APCSS. Participants included military officers, civilian government officials, constabulary officers, strategists, academics, scientists, and other various experts.
ALL TIMES ARE INDIAN STANDARD TIME
Tuesday, 27 April (26/27 April for U.S. Participants)
0900 – 0930 Workshop Digital Meeting Room Opens
0930 – 0940 Introduction of Workshop (5 min each)
Speaker: Mr. Jeff Payne, NESA
Speaker: Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director-General, NMF
0940 – 1010 Workshop Kickoff (15 min each)
Speaker: LTG (ret) Terry Wolff, Director, NESA
Speaker: Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman, NMF
1010 – 1040 Keynote Address (15 min each)
Speaker: Brigadier General David G. Shoemaker, Deputy Director of Operation (J30) at United States INDOPACO Speaker: Mr Harsh Kumar Jain (AS BIMSTEC, SAARC and Nalanda), MEA, India [TBC by NMF]
1040 – 1050 Break
1050 – 1225 1st Session: Regional Dynamics, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Bay of Bengal
This first session examines the context through which the issues shaping the Bay of Bengal can be interpreted.
1050 – 1055: Moderator – Mr. Jeff Payne, NESA
1055 – 1125: Speaker 1 – Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director-General, NMF
1125 – 1145: Speaker 2 – Rear Admiral M Lokmanur Rahman, Acting Chairman, BIMRAD
1145 – 1205: Speaker 3 – Dr. Collin Koh Swee Lean, RSIS
1205 – 1225: Q&A Session
1225 – 1235 Break
1235 – 1400 2nd Session: Regional Maritime Security – Perspectives for the Littoral States
The second session relies on expert voices from the Bay of Bengal region to discuss how the maritime challenges and opportunities are being discussed within the region.
1235 – 1240: Moderator – Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director-General, NMF
1240 – 1300: Speaker 1 – Admiral (Prof) Jayanath Colombage, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka and Director General, INSSSL
1300 – 1320: Speaker 2 – Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Research Director, NIICE
1320 – 1340: Speaker 3 – Vice Admiral DK Tripathi, DGNO, Indian Navy IHQ MoD (N)/ IN [Backup Speaker of Admiral Lanba or Captain Parmar in case of conflict]
1340 – 1400: Q&A Session
1400 – 1410 Conclusion of Day’s Events; Quick Poll; Introduction of Day 2
Wednesday, 28 April
0900 – 0930 Workshop Digital Meeting Room Opens
0930 – 0940 2nd Day Welcome
0940 – 1110 Session 03: Importance of the Bay of Bengal – Perspectives from the IOR and Pacific Voices outside the region discuss how the Bay of Bengal’s security impacts the larger Indo Pacific.
0940 – 0945: Moderator – Captain Sarabjeet S Parmar, Executive-Director, NMF
0945 – 1005: Speaker 1 – Dr. Evan Laksmana, CSIS, Indonesia
1005 – 1025: Speaker 2 – Captain Sean Andrews, Director, Sea Power Centre – Australia
1025 – 1045: Speaker 3 – Ms. Veerle Nouwens, RUSI
1045 – 1110: Q&A Session
1110 – 1120 Break
1120 – 1310 Session 04: Information and the Maritime Domain – Interpreting Data in the Bay of Bengal
This session discusses how data from the maritime domain is integrated into regional security, how integrating such data can be improved, and what trend lines are revealing.
1120 – 1125: Moderator – Mr. Jeff Payne, NESA
1125 – 1145: Speaker 1 – Commodore KM Ramakrishnan, Cmde NCO, Indian Navy
1145 – 1205: Speaker 2 – Mr. Martin Cauchi Inglott, Head of Project, CRIMARIO II
1205 – 1225: Speaker 3 – Dr. Srinivasan Sitaraman, DKI APCSS
1225 – 1245: Speaker 4 – Mr. Jay Benson, Indo-Pacific Project Manager, Stable Seas
1245 – 1310: Q&A Session
1310 – 1320 Conclusion of Day’s Events; Quick Poll; Introduction of Activity
Thursday, 29 April
0900 – 0930 Workshop Digital Meeting Room Opens
0930 – 0935 3rd Day Welcome
0935 – 1115 Activity – Information Game (Breakout Groups)
Participants will be broken down into breakout groups to fill in the blanks of a scenario regarding the Bay of Bengal.
1115 – 1125 Break
1125 – 1200 Examination of Activity Results (Main Conference Room)
1200 – 1245 Session 05: The Local and Global in the Bay of Bengal
This final session seeks to merge the discussions over the course of the workshop together to provide bearings on what the region can expect regarding the Bay of Bengal in the coming days, months, and years.
1200 – 1205: Moderator – Captain Sarabjeet S Parmar, Executive-Director, NMF
1205 – 1225: Speaker 1 – Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director-General, NMF
1225 – 1245: Speaker 2 – Mr. Jeff Payne, NESA
1245 – 1300 Farewell and Thanks
Speaker 1: LTG (ret) Terry Wolff, Director of NESA (5 min)
Speaker 2: Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman NMF (5 min)
Final Note of Thanks: Mr. Jeff Payne, NESA (5 min)
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