India Hosts 2nd India-Australia-Indonesia Trilateral Maritime Security Workshop in Kochi

Kochi: The second edition of the India-Australia-Indonesia Trilateral Maritime Security Workshop (TMSW) was successfully conducted from 15th to 17th May 2024 at INS Dronacharya, Kochi, India. The workshop, themed ‘Indian Ocean Region: Collaborative Efforts to Enhance Regional Maritime Security,’ aimed to address ongoing maritime security challenges and explore opportunities for collaboration among the three nations. The event was organized under the aegis of Headquarters Southern Naval Command and featured participation from delegates representing the navies of India, Australia, and Indonesia.

Rear Admiral Nirbhay Bapna, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign Cooperation and Intelligence), presided over the workshop, which was co-chaired by Commodore Paul O’Grady of the Royal Australian Navy and Fleet Admiral Heri Triwibowo, Assistant for Operations to the Commander-in-Chief of the Indonesian Fleet Command, TNI (AL). Commodore Manmeet S. Khurana, Commodore (Foreign Cooperation) from the Indian Navy, also co-chaired the event.

The workshop featured extensive discussions on a variety of topics, focusing on present-day opportunities and challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Key areas of discussion included Information Exchange mechanisms and the capabilities of the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), Maritime Domain Awareness, non-traditional and illicit maritime activities, Maritime Law enforcement, capability enhancement and capacity building, and avenues for enhancing interoperability and cooperation.