Regional Maritime Security through a SAM Lens
Regional Maritime Security through a SAM Lens
Awareness Meeting (SAM) is one of the important events in the Information Fusion Center or IFC calendar which is entering its 45th event this year.
I don’t know how I got to that number. What is clear is that the existence of the IFC is still a dozen years old, not that long when measured based on the year it was held.
It seems that the number 45 achieved refers more to the number of activities that could be held several times a year.
In another sentence, SAM is held based on need by referring to the regional maritime security situation.
The author had the opportunity to attend SAM several times, including this year, which was held in Singapore at the end of February. I was invited by IFC, a unit built by the Singapore Navy or Republic of Singapore Navy/RSN.
The maritime security situation, often abbreviated to kammar or marsec, is an area that is currently in turmoil where the Red Sea is the center of gravity.
In the 45th SAM, a presentation regarding the latest conditions in the waters was carried out by the Maritime Information Cooperation and Awareness Center or MICA and Combined Task Force/CTF 153.
The first institution is part of the French Navy – Marine Nationale – while the second is a naval alliance of several countries led by the US Navy, aka US Navy.
According to MICA, the situation in the Red Sea has entered a new era after the detention of the MV Galaxy Leader by Houti fighters.
Just for the record, this ship was detained by them on November 19 2023, in retaliation for Israeli air attacks on the Gaza Strip, Palestine. This ship is considered to have ties to Israeli businessmen.
Previously, according to MICA, the situation in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean in general, was characterized by piracy activities against ships passing through waters around Somalia such as the Gulf of Aden, the Guardafui Strait and the Somali Sea.
Over the past few years, piracy activity has tended to decline. However, the crisis in the Red Sea could be triggered again.
Meanwhile, according to CTF 153, which launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in response to attacks on ships in the Red Sea, there were more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV attacks on ships in these waters.
Other mediums used in attacks include anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM), unmanned surface vehicles (USV), and unmanned underwater vehicles (USV). Now, attacks on ships in the Red Sea are only getting louder.
According to the IFC, marsec issues are divided into several, including: theft, robbery and piracy at sea (TRAPS), maritime incidents (MI), contraband smuggling (CS) and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUUF).
Interestingly, the IFC recorded an increase in incidents in all of these categories. TRAPS totaled 117 incidents, an increase of 13 percent compared to 2022 when 104 incidents were recorded.
MI increased by two percent from 999 incidents in 2022 to 1,023 during 2023. Meanwhile, CS increased by 1 percent from 823 incidents in 2022 to 834 incidents in 2023.
Meanwhile, IUUF will increase by 27 percent to 708 incidents in 2023 from 559 incidents a year earlier.
In a conversation on the sidelines of the 45th SAM forum with several participants, most of whom came from the maritime/shipping community and overseas Navy and Coast Guard officers, it was revealed that the existing categories, eight in all, had previously been discussed with partners who were members of the group. IFC through international liaison officers (ILO) sent by each member country.
Most of them are AL members, but there are also CG members. It is from these ILOs that all the existing categories originate.
And, this really depends on the needs of each country. For example, Thailand and Cambodia, two countries that have representatives at the IFC, are very concerned with IUUF and contraband and smuggling (CS).
Other ILOs have been asked by their countries to monitor irregular human migration (IHM), environmental security (ENVSEC), cyber security (CYBSEC), and maritime terrorism (MT).
In general, IFC is a joint house founded by RSN – complete with various sophisticated IT equipment and strong connections to various parts of the world – and brings together AL and CG from various regions such as Asia/Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and America.
The ILO was asked to pay close attention to various incidents in the realm of maritime security for which information was supplied to the IFC through various information channels. If this happens in the waters, they can coordinate it with relevant agencies in the country so that it can be followed up.
Indonesia has placed an ILO with major rank at the IFC since 2011. The plan is that Bakamla will also place an ILO, but until now it is not clear what will happen next.
Regarding information centers or fusion centers like those owned by the RSN, actually both the TNI and Bakamla already have them too.
In the TNI it is called Center Maritime Information Center (Pusinformar) headed by the first admiral. Meanwhile, Bakamla has the Indonesia Maritime Information Center, abbreviated as IMIC.
Honestly, I don’t know the performance of these two institutions. There isn’t much information in the media that I can get about either of them. I could have missed it, but that’s how it is.
There is only one thing that I know well: both institutions are intended to counter maritime security information issued by various regional information centers. They are considered biased.
I was a moderator of a maritime security seminar about 1-2 years ago in Kemayoran, Jakarta.
The speakers were from abroad and from within the country. One of the domestic speakers came from Bakamla, a two-star.
In his presentation, he presented various maritime crime statistics. Interestingly, the categories used are almost similar to those used by IFC.
Is IMIC copying IFC? Doesn’t Bakamla have its own category? If you don’t have one, why establish IMIC? I don’t know, I don’t know the answer.
